


Klare Leu

by aestia (orphan_account)



Series: Stories of Vaela [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Eventual Romance, Gen, Huang Ren Jun & Na Jaemin Are Best Friends, I suck at writing happy things sorry, Implied/Referenced Character Death, It's kinda medieval but not really, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Lee Jeno Are Best Friends, M/M, Magic, Mild Language, Park Jisung & Zhong Chen Le Are Best Friends, Prophecy, bear with me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 77,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22324135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/aestia
Summary: Decades after the war started, the general of the military received a prophecy of the Chosen One. The Klare Leu. The one who was supposed to cleanse the world of impurities.Jisung thought that he was too young to have to "purify the world", but he didn't really have much of a choice.
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: Stories of Vaela [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764316
Comments: 28
Kudos: 50





	1. at the start

There was a blindfold over her eyes, but it didn’t need to be there. Her vision was already black from lack of oxygen. There were soft voices that could’ve been talking at full volume for all she knew. Oh, how she hated the pain. These people surrounding her, how many were there? Could she win if she tried to fight against them now? Who did they think they were, holding her captive when she was the next in line to lead the DAMR? Unless those criminals had managed to infiltrate the most secure ranks in the entire world, she could have the people holding her tried for treason. 

“Hello, future general of the Defense Against the Mountain Range,” She had never wanted to hurt someone so badly before in her fourteen years of life. “I’m sure you’ve heard this story millions of times since your birth, but it is protocol to tell it to anyone who is joining our ranks. Decades ago, there was a group of criminals that had committed various crimes, most of them having killed at least ten people. The government decided that they were too dangerous to be around the rest of the world, and prisons were not strong enough to hold them for very long. So the government hired wizards and witches to create a mountain range that could house the criminals, and everyone thought that that would be the last they heard of those people. 

“But around another ten years later, a sickness broke out. It killed over half of the world’s people, including the criminals themselves. Scientists found out that it was the criminals who started it as a way to weaken the outside world’s defenses. Well, it didn’t work entirely, and we later found that they had mutated a group of people to fight for them. That group started trying to break out of the mountains, and the outer world has been managing to hold them off for now. 

“That’s where you come in, Lieutenant General Boa. With the death of General Sooman, you have been requested by the Council to step in as leader of our forces. Although you are extremely young, your talents have been recognized by the entire world, and even the criminals inside the mountains. In case you have not realized, you have no choice but to accept the position. If you refuse, then you lose your right to live.” The blindfold was ripped off of Boa’s face, but she still couldn’t see anything through the darkness. 

Gathering up all the saliva and blood that had pooled in her mouth, she spit it as far as she could right in front of her. A gasp of disgust came from whoever was there, and her shirt was grabbed roughly as the person yanked her. “Shouldn’t you be thanking me, you whore? I just gave you the proposition of a lifetime! That is not a sign of gratitude! Don’t forget, wretch, that I can kill you right now and just tell the Council that you refused the offer. Don’t test my patience.”

“How about you don’t kidnap me and beat me up next time then?” Boa finished untying the knot that had bound her hands together and whipped it, feeling pleasure in the crack as it made contact with the man’s face. There was an urge to wrap it around the man’s neck and end his life right here, but there was some information that she needed first. 

Boa pulled a match out from her breast pocket and lit a candle, seeing the face of her kidnapper. She wrinkled her nose immediately. _What a repulsive man._ She caught sight of some of the weapons that had been used on her on a table nearby. With a single smile sent towards the trembling man who was holding his cheek pathetically, Boa picked up a dagger, juggling the handle between her hands. 

“D-Don’t come near me! Fucking slut!” The man spat, falling back on his ass and trying to crawl away. “I can have you killed!”

“Quit your whining.” Boa smacked him across the face with the rope again. “You know you can’t have me killed. Unless you’re the president, I rank higher than you, you fat piece of shit. Especially with this promotion to general. Don’t forget, I may be young, but you said it yourself: I’ve been recognized as a good fighter by every single person in this world. I can beat your ass easily. Now, if you just tell me what I want to know, then I might let you live.” _I’ll have you tried for treason anyway,_ Boa thought as she snapped the rope like a whip. The man whimpered, tears running down his face like a baby. 

Boa kicked his chest, causing him to fall back, and she planted her boot between his ribcage. “I’ll show you the fear of being killed, okay?”

***

Boa left that room satisfied with the answers she had been given. There had been many secrets surrounding General Sooman’s death, and that man had not hesitated to tell Boa the entire truth as soon as the dagger was pointed at him. _What a coward. We can’t have people like him in our ranks. I’ll have to discuss that with Leeteuk._

Leeteuk was only three years older than her, but he already commanded a special forces unit of nine, including himself. The unit had started out as fifteen, but the others had either retired or had been exiled for breaking laws. The nine that remained were the best of the best, and as soon as Boa’s induction ceremony was complete, she would probably promote them all. 

Boa moved quickly through the hallways of the building that she recognized as an outpost on the Jiyo River, a river that fed into the mountain range that housed the criminals. This outpost usually housed the most loyal soldiers, so what the hell was that man doing here? Boa had to weed out the corruption and weakness as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences could be fatal. 

As Boa turned a corner, she came face to face with one of Leeteuk’s men, Yesung. Like Leeteuk, he didn’t use his real name, and neither of them let anyone know what their real names were. “Oh, Yesung. What are you doing this far away from Soln?” Boa asked. 

“I was sent here by Major General Leeteuk, who said that he felt something was off. Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be back receiving orders from the Council? Everyone knows that you will succeed the late General Sooman. You should be preparing for the induction ceremony. Any transition period must be quick, otherwise the criminals shall take advantage of the chaos and attack while we are vulnerable.” Yesung said in his usual tired way. 

“I’m aware. I was just about to head back. You should come too. I’ve most likely taken care of whatever seemed suspicious, considering that I was brought here against my will. Come back to the capital with me, Yesung.” Boa squeezed the older’s shoulder. 

“You’ve taken care of everything. I can’t believe that you’re only fourteen, Lieutenant General.” Yesung said in mild awe. 

“You’re only sixteen, Yesung. You’re extremely young as well, so give yourself some credit.” Boa replied. “Well, let’s head back. I’m sure the soldiers here won’t mind me taking a horse.” 

“Oh, I actually came with Ryeowook…” Yesung scratched the back of his head, his face turning a light shade of pink. Boa gave him an understanding smile. 

“Of course. Be safe on your way back.” Boa bowed to the elder and he returned the gesture to his superior. She headed for the stables, only stopping to ask the supervisor if she could use a horse, easily getting permission. Before leaving the room from before, Boa had left a mark on the man’s body so he could be identified for the trial in the future. What she didn’t understand was why she had to be taken to this remote outpost to receive an offer that she could just as easily get from the Council back at the capital. 

The capital was about a twenty minute ride away, but it took another ten minutes for Boa to clear security to enter Soln’s inner city. Once she did, she was met with a wave of servants that doted on her until she reached her room, where she finally let her headache affect her and she fell onto the bed. She definitely needed a medic to check her out. 

But not right now. 

Boa instantly got back up, knowing what she needed to do. There was a certain group of people with whom she had to meet before she got any rest. 

The Council had been alerted as soon as Boa entered the city, per her orders, and by the time she was escorted into the room, the members all sat in a semicircle, surrounding Boa with their piercing looks. Yunho and Changmin, Boa’s only real superiors in this world, spoke quietly with each other while she waited patiently for them to start. 

It only took less than a minute for Yunho to clear his throat and begin talking. “Lieutenant General Kwon. I’m sure you are aware of the events that occured two days ago ending in the death of General Lee Sooman. In these trying times, we are forced to find someone else to lead the DAMR, and in the will of the late General Sooman, we have discovered that he wished for you to succeed him as general. As we are in the middle of preparations to end the rebellion of the criminals forever, we suggest that you accept taking his position as general so that you may be inducted as soon as possible.” Yunho said, and Boa took a look around the room at the Council members. 

Heejun, the former leader of a five member special forces unit that had since split up, was staring intently at his fingernails, obviously uninterested in the meeting going on, already knowing Boa’s answer. Yunho was still awaiting Boa’s answer, but Changmin did not seem nearly as anxious as his partner. Bada, the former leader of a three member special forces unit, twirled a strand of hair around her finger as she waited for the meeting to be adjourned. Eric, the leader of a six member unit, seemed to be preoccupied with documents that he tried in vain to hide from the room. Jinki, the leader of a five member unit that specialized in reconnaissance, was dealing with his boredom by extinguishing his presence from the room and simply doing whatever he wanted, since no one other than Boa would notice him. Taeyeon, the newest and youngest member of the Council at eleven, sat next to her mentor who was two years older, Victoria. Leeteuk sat, bright-eyed and curious, knowing that Boa was slightly unpredictable. 

If Boa had the power to, she would replace the entire council except for Jinki, Leeteuk, Yunho and Changmin. Everyone else seemed relatively apathetic toward the state of their forces, and Victoria and Taeyeon were too young, too inexperienced. But once Boa became general, she could fix everything that she needed to.

“I accept.” Boa kneeled to the Council members, and she could feel nine smiles resting on her back.

***

Boa rushed to her real home as quickly as possible. She had already been gone far too long for her liking. Even though she did want to talk with Leeteuk, her young brother took priority, especially once she learned that their mother had grown sick again. She had promised Yunho and Changmin that she would return to discuss the logistics once her brother and mother were taken care of. 

Boa opened the door quietly in an effort to not disturb her family members, but Taeyong’s hearing had always been good. He poked his head around the corner and his eyes brightened once he saw his sister. His smile lit up his usually intimidating features. Boa walked quickly to their mother’s room but sighed when she saw the older woman’s pale face. 

“Taeyongie, have you called the doctor yet?” Boa asked as she took the damp washcloth off of her mother’s forehead, dipped it into the bucket of water that was nearby, wrung it out and put it back on. 

“He said he’ll drop by tomorrow.” Taeyong replied from his fetal position in the corner of the room. “He said he was busy today.” Even though Taeyong looked the way he did, Boa knew that he was sensitive. He was only four after all. The littlest of things could get him down. 

Boa turned to his corner and held her arms out for Taeyong to come into. “Come here, baby. You did well. Thank you for taking care of things while I was gone.” Taeyong crawled to her and Boa snuggled the small boy. 

***

Boa’s induction ceremony had been held quickly, the Council not wanting to waste any precious time in their operation. Her mother passed a week after she had become the new general, giving her no choice but to move Taeyong to the inner city. She should’ve done it when she had first been invited there, but Taeyong had wanted to stay with their mother, who was too weak to move to a different place. 

Three years had passed since the induction, and although Boa was now general, she did things hands-on, much to the annoyance of the Council. Leeteuk and his unit had no problems with it, however, always inviting her to come with them on their expeditions. All nine of them had practically adopted Taeyong, who was beginning to train with Donghae even though he had just turned seven. And no matter how much she wanted to, Boa found that she could not replace the Council, whose attitudes had become even worse since her induction. 

Other than the Council, Boa had found and weeded out the weaklings, the traitors, even executed the man who had kidnapped her, but she never found out why he felt the need to do that. The operation to end the rebellion had been proceeding smoothly for the most part, but Boa still had a sense of unease. It wasn’t often that something this big went according to plan. She had to plan for whatever could go wrong. 

Boa held her head in her hands. The candlelight was finally beginning to hurt her head after three days. God, that meant she hadn’t been able to see Taeyong for three days. _Is he doing okay? Is Donghae overworking the poor boy?_ Boa couldn’t forget about it now that she thought about her brother, so she did the only thing that a good sister would do. She left her work sitting on her desk and took off for her room that she shared with Taeyong. If Donghae knew what was good for him, he would’ve let Taeyong go to sleep by now. The moon was high in the sky, and if Boa found that Taeyong was still awake, she would have a few choice words with the fighter. 

Luckily, when Boa opened the door, she saw Taeyong sleeping soundly underneath the thick blankets that a friend of his had gotten for him. Nakamoto Yuta, if she recalled correctly, the adopted younger brother of Oh Sehun, a formidable fighter of the DAMR’s most powerful unit currently. 

She hadn’t gotten many chances to interact with them, but she recognized their incredible talent. Sehun was only a year older than Taeyong, but he had already begun to go on reconnaissance missions with his unit leader, Junmyeon. The entire unit was incredibly young, the oldest being only twelve. Boa hated that kids were being forced to fight in a war they didn't have any connections to, but with their unit, she had nine soldiers that were as powerful as Leeteuk’s unit at young ages. 

Aside from them, Boa was incredibly glad that Taeyong had friends. He had spent the first four years of his life at home, taking care of a mother that was supposed to be taking care of him. Boa had almost never been home, and Leeteuk’s unit was always busy, so she couldn’t have asked them to take care of him. It was a miracle that her brother had any people skills at all. 

For being a war fortress, the inner city was surprisingly full of children, each of them more talented as they came. Two that caught her eye in particular were three year old Lee Minhyung, although he preferred to go by Mark, and eleven year old Bae Joohyun, who insisted that she be called Irene. Mark’s parents had been killed by the remnants of the virus, and when Boa had found him and his cousin Youngho on the streets, about to die from starvation, she couldn’t help but take him in. Irene was the younger sister of Council member Taeyeon, and had been raised as a warrior. She had been brought up always being told that she couldn’t rely on other people because they would just let her down.

There were quite a lot of children aside from Mark and Irene that were talented, but the one who showed the most promise is Taeyong himself, even without Boa’s bias. Many people within the DAMR had recognized him as an extremely powerful person, even at his young age. Sometimes, Leeuteuk’s unit even teased Boa, saying that her little brother would take her place as general. It wasn’t completely impossible, but she still had a few years until he reached that level.

After making her rounds on all the children of the inner city who were housed in Soln’s military building, Boa had to leave to take care of more paperwork. Recently, the vice president of Vaela had passed away from the virus, and that left a lot of work for the members of the Council and for Boa herself. She had volunteered to take care of everything, but she had been working nonstop for the past three days. Stopping in the courtyard to take a small break, Boa stared at her best friend, the moon. 

The moon smiled upon Boa, showing its true colors and what was in store for the future. It did that sometimes, but she could never understand what it was telling her. Heechul, a member of Leeteuk’s unit, usually interpreted the visions that Boa got, but this time… This time, the vision was as clear as glass. The moon spoke to her with its soft voice and mystical ways. It had started speaking when she became general, but its words had never been so exact. 

_Find him. Find the savior. Find the Klare Leu, and he shall bring peace to us all._

***

“General, you can’t keep putting off your duties in order to take care of your brother. I’ve told you time and time again, Donghae and Eunhyuk can handle Taeyong.” Leeteuk said for what seemed like the millionth time. 

“I know, Leeteuk, but I don't know where to start. Where would I even find someone like that? I don’t know anything other than the fact that the Klare Leu is a male.” Boa sighed, tying her hair up.

“Just come with me and Chanyeol on this recon mission, okay? Just to clear your head.” Leeteuk patted Boa’s shoulder. “You don’t even have to stay around us the entire time. You can vanish and do your own thing, but you can’t stay cooped up in your room and your office.” 

“Alright, fine. Only because Chanyeol is coming, and I need him back in one piece.” Boa stuck her tongue out at Leeteuk teasingly, who returned the gesture. 

“Chanyeol!” Leeteuk called out for the ten year old, who came running around the corner as soon as he was called. “You ready?” Chanyeol nodded eagerly at the older, and Leeteuk sent Boa a smile. 

“Let’s go then!” Leeteuk scooped Chanyeol up in his arms and began running. “Race you to the stables, General!” 

***

Recently, there had been an avalanche on the mountain range, breaking down a weak part of the mountain and leaving a new cliff face on the range. The Council had requested that Boa send out a recon team to scout any possible escape routes that the criminals could use. She didn’t even need to do anything, because Leeteuk tended to take these things into his own hands and act without Boa’s permission. But since he usually got things done with minimal mess, there wasn’t any problem with how he operated his unit. Each one had his specialty that he had been honing and polishing since birth. They were the most efficient unit in the DAMR in Boa’s eyes. 

After around half an hour, the trio reached the mountains, intimidating as they loomed over the group. For his age, Chanyeol was already ridiculously tall, and he had no trouble getting off his horse. Leeteuk tied them to a tree that was relatively hidden from sight and gave Chanyeol a smile, the younger’s eyes filled to the brim with anticipation. 

“Alright, General, you’re free to do whatever you want to, just meet us back here at 1500, okay?” Leeteuk said, looking at his watch. 

“Got it, Lieutenant General.” Boa gave the elder a sloppy salute and then took off. She wouldn’t really leave them alone. She trusted Leeteuk, but it never hurt to be careful. Tailing was a skill that she had been practicing since she was eleven, so it wouldn’t be hard for her. Chanyeol was irreplaceable as a fighter, and she couldn’t have him get even a little bit injured. 

Boa wandered along the bottom of the cliff, checking for any deformities while keeping Leeteuk and Chanyeol in her sights at all times. Any holes, anything that didn’t look natural was to be reported to her or to the Council, but because she was here, she didn’t need anyone to report to her, and Leeteuk, although he was a little bit reckless, was a Council member after all. Laughing silently to herself, Boa wondered how Leeteuk even managed to get a seat on the Council with all his misbehaviors. Leeteuk was best at field work, not the stuffy work that they do. He had been offered a seat with the Council after becoming part of the military ranks, making him an odd case. But he was happy where he was, so Boa wasn’t going to do anything to change that. 

Boa had been running her hand along the wall as she walked, trying to feel anything she couldn’t see. Anything that seemed out of place was a liability issue to the safety of Vaela. Her fingers caught on a circle that looked too unnatural to have been caused by the crumbling of the mountain. It looked like a button…? No matter what it looked like, Boa was overcome with the urge to push it. 

When she did, there was a hissing noise and the cliffside began to split, just a little bit. It was big enough for her to fit in. Boa cast an anxious glance toward Leeteuk and Chanyeol, the former showing Chanyeol how to dissociate in order to pay attention to every single movement that happened around him. He used fancy words like ‘eagle eye’ in order to draw the ten year old’s attention, but in reality, it was simple, a skill that every member of a reconnaissance unit should have. Boa decided it wasn’t worth interrupting the lesson, so she stepped into the dark opening. 

It led into a walkway dimly lit by glowing crystals. As Boa kept walking farther down, she felt a draft coming in from above her, even though there were no openings. It was quite an eerie place, but it was a possible exit, and she couldn’t overlook that, especially as the general of the DAMR. She knew that eventually, it had to lead somewhere, whether it was the inside of the mountain range or a dead end. In the case of a dead end, she could just retrace her steps. If it led to the heart of the prison, then she would have to block it. 

When the light of outside vanished, Boa began to hear faint whimpering, like the whimpering of a mountain animal. Boa pulled out her dagger as a precaution in case the animal was hostile and kept walking. As she continued down the path, the crystals grew in number and the walkway widened until she came to a fully lit room where she found the source of the noise. Even though her watch read that it was only 1440, the full moon shone above the room through an opening. 

A child lay in the middle of the room, the moon rays shining upon it like it had been created by them. The moon spoke to Boa again, its silvery voice cutting through the silence. 

_Behold the savior of Vaela. Take the child and raise it well. Raise it as a warrior and rid the world of all its imperfections._

Quite a lot to ask of one child. 

This world was filled to the brim with evil. It was filled with artificial diseases, criminals who wanted nothing more than to be free, citizens who were doing everything in their power to prevent that freedom, corruption from the lowest rank to the highest rank. Could a child do that all by themselves? Could she put that much pressure on him? she thought as she picked the boy up and wrapped him in her jacket. 

Boa vowed to herself to always be this child’s pillar, his foundation when he couldn’t do anything anymore. She knew that she had to take the boy and raise him as her own little brother, and hopefully, Taeyong would also become this child’s strength. 

As she headed back to the outside where Leeteuk and Chanyeol waited, Boa thought about what she should name him, and when she got back outside, she saw the sun peeking through the clouds, the rays clashing with the darkness that enveloped most of the world. And then she figured out what to call the Klare Leu. A name that meant ‘of the stars and heavens’.

“Jisung.”


	2. the dream team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eighteen years in the future

“Jisung! Focus!” Taeyong yelled as Jisung dropped to the ground again, his sword clattering next to him. “What’s wrong with you today?” Jisung inhaled sharply as he grabbed the hilt of his sword and jumped back onto his feet. 

“Sorry, Taeyong.” Jisung gripped his blade so tightly that his fingers turned white. That was the eighth time that he had been disarmed so easily, and his brother sheathed his sword and sighed. 

“What’s going on, kiddo? You’re never like this.” Jisung dropped his weapon to his side as Taeyong came closer. 

“I’m just tired.” Jisung replied simply, hoping that his brother wouldn’t pry anymore. 

“Then let’s take a break, ‘kay?” Taeyong ruffled Jisung’s hair. “It’s understandable, y’know. I’ve been picking up the pace on your lessons, so I get it if you need to rest. I can even cut down your training time. You just need to tell me.” 

“Okay.” Jisung lowered himself to the ground, slowly this time instead of being thrown by his brother. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them, and once Taeyong took a seat, he pulled Jisung into his side.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Taeyong spoke again. “Jisung, you know that General Boa and I would do anything for you, right?”

“Yeah…” Jisung mumbled into his knees. Here it came.

“So you know you can tell me everything, right?” There it was. Taeyong may have been his brother, but he acted like a mother most of the time, even more than his sister-- Boa was busy all the time, so it was understandable though. And Jisung loved them both dearly, but there were some things that he just didn’t want them to worry about. 

“Yeah… There’s nothing wrong, Taeyong.” Jisung looked Taeyong straight in the eyes, hoping that the elder would leave it alone. 

“Come on, we both know that’s a lie.” Taeyong squeezed Jisung’s shoulder, and Jisung found himself unable to resist his brother’s odd motherly charms. 

“You’re turning twenty-five this year. You’re going to be too busy to train with me when they promote you to Lieutenant General.” Jisung admonished, and Taeyong’s grip on his shoulder tightened. 

“That’s not going to happen. Firstly because General Boa has kept the same lieutenant generals since she started leading the DAMR, and second, because no matter what I might have to do, I’m going to make time for you. I’ll skip all my duties if I have to. You’re more important than a stupid title that doesn’t give me any more priveleges than before. Don’t ever think otherwise, Jisungie,” Taeyong pulled Jisung even closer than before, which he didn’t know was possible. “And besides, even when I’m not around, don’t you have your friends to hang out with?” Over the past eighteen years, Jisung had become incredibly close with some other people.

There were the twins, Donghyuck and Jeno, who weren’t actually twins but who loved each other more than life itself. Who had known each other since their birth and who had refused to fall apart once their parents had died. Who could read Jisung’s mind like an open book and could make him laugh with their lame jokes. Who had been raised by Donghae, Jeno’s brother, and still turned out perfectly despite Donghae not knowing how to raise two children. 

Donghyuck, who had beautiful glowing skin and looked like the incarnation of the sun. Who was always experimenting in magic. Who always wanted to learn more. Who wanted to find a cure to the virus so that his brother would never catch it. Who was loved by everyone who met him. Jeno, who had never been beaten in hand-to-hand combat. Whose only motive was to improve and protect his brothers. Whose eyes crinkled into crescent moons when he smiled. Who was constantly teased for not being funny. Who tried his best in everything. 

There was Mark, who would get mad if you called him Minhyung. Who was the awkward unofficial leader of their friend group. Who would always listen to anything Jisung had to say. Who would never judge. Who didn’t care for anyone’s money, but rather their personality. Who woke up with the ugliest bedhead that Jisung had seen. Who didn’t mind talking about his time on the streets. Who always wore a smile on his face, even when Donghyuck was teasing him. 

And finally, there was Chenle, who would never get mad at Jisung no matter what pranks he pulled. Who was always smiling. Who was always in the infirmary, helping out people who were injured or sick. Whose immune system was incredibly strong because he had caught the virus before and recovered. Who didn’t care that his parents had abandoned him because he had been sick. Who was always improving and showing Jisung new things that he had learned. Who played with Jisung when everyone else was busy. 

Jisung loved them all like they were his family, because they practically were. But even with them, Jisung never got the same sense of security that he got when he was with Taeyong, who wasn’t biologically related, but might as well have been. If Jisung had to pick anyone to be biologically related to, he would pick Taeyong in a heartbeat. 

But Jisung didn’t voice his complete feelings as he just told his brother, “I do have them. But I prefer you.” Taeyong just smiled at Jisung, his usual toothy smile that showed every single ounce of his love for Jisung. And that was the reason that Jisung loved Taeyong so much. Because while Jeno did have a dazzling smile, he showed only the positive emotions. Taeyong’s smile showed everything that he felt, including the negative emotions.

“It’ll be okay, kiddo. Even if I’m not here or the dream team isn’t here, you still have the older boys too, like Yuta, Kun, Doyoung, Jungwoo, and even Kunhang.” _Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. I’ll be with you._ Ever since Jisung can remember, he had always been told that. That there’d always be someone beside him and guiding him. While that might be true for the time being, he wouldn’t always be eighteen. One day, he was going to have to grow up, and everyone would have left him to make his own decisions. Even Boa would have to leave him. 

He was the Klare Leu, after all. He was supposed to ‘rid the world of all its imperfections’, which was kind of a lot to ask, especially when Taeyong gets promoted. The dream team could only help so much. God, natural leader Taeyong was much more suited to save the world than Jisung. Taeyong had been mature since he was born, according to what he heard from Yuta. But he was never a complete jerk, unlike some people Jisung had met. 

“I still prefer you.” Jisung mumbled. 

“And I’m never going to leave you alone, so don’t worry, okay?” Taeyong pressed a light kiss to Jisung’s forehead, and Jisung squirmed in his brother’s embrace. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust Taeyong, it was just that many people had been promised him that before, and most of them didn’t follow through. 

***

“Hey, Jisung. What’s up?” Jeno asked as he and Donghyuck snuck up from behind, each of them throwing an arm around Jisung’s shoulders, even though he was taller than both of them. 

“Not much. Major General Taeyong told me that we were done for the day, and now I’m just bored,” Jisung peeled the twins off of him. 

“Ew, hearing you call people by their titles is weird. You know you don’t have to do that. You’re special, no one is gonna care if you call someone by their name only.” Jeno wrinkled his nose at Jisung, and Jisung stuck his tongue out. 

“I don’t want special treatment. Just because the moon gave me life doesn’t make me any better than them. Anyway, what are you two doing?” He turned around to face them, and they had matching mischievous smiles. 

“Oh, no, not happening. Whatever torture you have planned for Captain Doyoung, I’m not getting involved in that. No way in hell. He would’ve ripped my head off last time if it wasn’t for Chenle.” Jisung shook his head nervously.

“Come on, Jisungie. I thought you loved playing pranks!” Donghyuck half whined and half laughed. 

“Only when my life isn’t at risk! No one else gets mad at me except for Captain Doyoung! Not even Second Nurse Yuta!” Jisung exclaimed. 

“Your life isn’t at risk. Both General Boa and Major General Taeyong would kill anyone who even looks at you,” Jeno stated, and Jisung knew that he was right. They might have been busy all the time, but they pulled countless strings for Jisung. “Plus, you’re the so-called ‘Klare Leu’, so it’s not like the captain _can_ hurt you. Quit being a baby and have some fun. You said you were bored, didn’t you?”

“What about ‘tenant Kunhang? Why don’t you drag him into this?” Jisung asked. 

Donghyuck let out a low growl. “Kunhang got caught by First Doctor Yixing a few days ago and got chewed out bad. Neither of us understand the Ystellic dialect, but the gist of it was that Kunhang is only allowed to leave his room to train, eat, and bathe for the next two weeks. Junmyeon told us that we’re not allowed to visit him either, so for the next week and some odd days, Kunhang is out of commission.” Donghyuck explained. 

“What about Brig General Mark?” Jisung recalled the older who didn’t like to participate in pranks but tagged along so he could keep an eye on them. 

“He’s in the outer city hanging out with Mina and Lee Chan.” Jeno replied. 

“Chenle?” Jisung was just grasping at straws, hoping that he could find someone to take his place in the plan that Donghyuck’s mastermind had come up with. Ever since he had become captain, angry Doyoung was not something that anyone in Soln’s inner city liked, even the Council, who had learned to keep their distance from Doyoung. When Doyoung was in a bad mood, it usually lasted for a while, and no one had the guts to dare approach him, bar Lieutenant General Leeuteuk and a lieutenant named Soonyoung.

Jisung’s hope that Chenle would stop the twins was crushed when Donghyuck told him, “Infirmary with Felix.”

“... Second Nurse Jungwoo?” Jisung threw out as a last resort, even though he knew that there was no way in hell that Jungwoo would ever do anything to upset Doyoung, even a little bit. Jungwoo’s literal job was to make sure that people weren’t upset or hurt.

“Come on, Jisung,” Donghyuck trailed off. 

“We won’t get you in trouble.” Jeno finished for his twin. His eyes were crinkled into the crescent moons that Jisung had grown up seeing. 

“I have a feeling I’m going to regret this.” Jisung mumbled into his hands. 

“It wouldn’t be a prank planned by us if you didn’t regret it.” They responded in unison, their smiles spread so wide across their face that it didn’t look natural. But it'd be a lie to say that Jisung didn’t love even that part of them. 

***

“Lieutenant Jeno and Promiser Donghyuck! Come here right now!” Minseok yelled at the twins’ retreating backs. The two had no choice but to turn around and slink over to the warlock sheepishly. “It’s understandable that you two may be a little sick of the inner city, but if you want to have fun, there are certainly other ways to do it without subjecting the rest of the military compound to your pranks. Who were you even aiming for?” 

“C-Captain Doyoung, sir!” Jeno replied, his back straight and his arm bent at a perfect 45 degree angle to salute Minseok. 

“Can’t you two leave him alone for just a single week? Didn’t Lieutenant Kunhang get in trouble with First Doctor Yixing for this just two days ago?” Minseok questioned. Sighing, he turned to Jisung, water still dripping out of his hair. “Please tell me that you didn’t do this of your free will, Jisung. You should know better.”

“I--” Jisung was going to speak up, but Donghyuck interrupted him before he could get any words out. 

“It wasn’t his fault, Warlock Minseok! We dragged him into it!” Donghyuck cried, but he shut up as soon as Minseok looked at him again. He turned back to Jisung. 

“Is that so, Jisung?” Jisung sent Donghyuck and Jeno a frantic look. Jeno mouthed ‘it’s okay’, and Jisung took a deep breath. 

“Y-Yes, Warlock.” Jisung tried not to stutter, but Minseok was scary when he was mad. According to Taeyong, the warlocks, lieutenant generals, and the general had been dealing with ‘something worrisome’ for the past month, and now Minseok had a reason to release all that stress. The Council had even recommended that Leeteuk step down as a council member so he could focus on whatever they were working on. Now that Jeno had given Jisung the okay to rat them out, he was honestly scared for the two.

Instead of blowing his top like Doyoung would have, Minseok simply sighed and pinched his temples with his fingers. “Alright, I’m not in the mood to deal with you two right now. I’ll give you two the same punishment that Lieutenant Kunhang received, but know that next time, I won’t be so merciful. Don’t let this happen again, and if you do decide to do it again, make sure you take full responsibility if someone innocent gets caught up in it. And for God’s sake, leave Captain Doyoung alone. I don't know what he’s done to you, but it’d be best if you two drop it.” Minseok lectured, and the twins straightened so much that Jisung thought they had broken their backs. 

Their eyes were illuminated again as they saluted and yelled, at the top of their lungs, “Thank you, Warlock Minseok! We will be sure to return your kindness and follow your orders!” Bullshit, if you asked Jisung, but he wasn’t getting involved next time, so it didn’t matter what lies they were telling Minseok.

“I don’t want to see any more nonsense, especially from you, Jisung. You may be the youngest in the compound other than Wonyoung and Yujin, but that doesn’t mean you can act like it. You’re the Klare Leu, remember? You can’t be doing things like this. If you have time to play childish pranks, then you have time to practice your skills. Don’t neglect your training.” With that, Minseok left, his hard soles clacking against the stone walkway of the hallway. 

Jisung was speechless for a little bit before Jeno and Donghyuck finally moved from their statue-like salutes. “I’m sorry for roping you into this, Jisung. I didn’t expect him to come walking by. It won’t happen again. Are you okay?” Donghyuck asked, his bronze eyes shining with concern. “God, he didn’t have to come for you like that. It wasn’t your fault.”

“I’m fine. I’m used to it. I’ve been hearing it for the past eighteen years.” Jisung waved the elder off. 

He used to wonder if they understood that he was young, but nowadays, he couldn’t use that excuse anymore. He wasn’t old enough to have a rank in the military, but he was old enough to put training and fighting before being a real teenager. Jisung used to think that it was unfair, but he quickly learned to stop complaining after he had gotten Shindong as a trainer when he was twelve. But that wasn’t something that Jisung wanted to remember right now. It didn’t matter. Taeyong had gotten him exiled anyway.

“Are you sure that’s okay? He dug into you, Sungie. You were just standing and watching but he still got upset at you too. I’d be incredibly pissed if I were you.” Jeno might have been trying to get Jisung to cheer up when he began poking his cheeks, but Jisung really just wanted to see Chenle right now. 

He wouldn’t be able to hang out with the Ystellic boy for much longer. Once Chenle came of age, then he’d be stuck in the infirmary, tied to the place because of all the injuries that come by Soln’s inner city. People who had just come back from war and people who had been injured during training, they all occupied the infirmary so much that Jisung was decently sure he hadn’t seen Heechul in at least a week. They’d all see Chenle more than Jisung would in the future. But Chenle was happy working there, so Jisung couldn’t do anything about it. At least he wouldn’t be a stuffy old military man, like some other people that Jisung was familiar with. 

“I don’t care about what Warlock Minseok has to say. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before. It wasn’t my choice to stop my training for today. If he has a problem, then he can take it up with Major General Taeyong and General Boa. I won’t get involved with that. It’ll just bring trouble for my siblings and for you guys.” Jisung shrugged. 

“Smart idea. If you got me in trouble, then I’d get a little upset.” Jisung knew who the voice belonged to as soon as he heard it, but that didn’t stop him from whipping his head around. 

“Welcome back, almighty Brigadier General with no responsibilities. How was the outer city?” Donghyuck mocked Mark as the elder shot Donghyuck a smile that said ‘shut the fuck up’. 

“It was amazing, until Taemin came running after me, saying that Warlock Minseok was caught up in you guys trying to get Doyoung. Did you really not think this through? And today was his only day off, according to Jongdae. You three probably just ruined it. Lee Chan told me to whoop your asses when I got back, and honestly, I’m about to actually do it.” Mark’s eyes narrowed but neither the twins nor Jisung backed down, because they all knew that Mark was too much of a softie to hurt them. 

“Yeah, I figured you’d see through that,” Mark sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Why on earth did you even try to pull a stunt like that? Donghyuck, you usually think about all the things that could go wrong; why didn’t you account for the warlock’s usual route?” Mark asked curiously, his big eyes locking on Donghyuck, who refused to break eye contact. 

“Didn’t know that he had a day off. Amber told us that they were working all this week.” Donghyuck replied and crossed his arms. 

Mark rolled his eyes in annoyance, but there was a fond look behind them when he smirked at the trio. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. What punishment did you guys get?” 

“The same thing Kunhang got. Two weeks half-confinement. Jisung got off easy though.” Jeno put Jisung into a headlock, which he seemed to struggle with, considering that Jisung was easily taller than him. 

“Of course he did. Taeyong would have the head of anyone who dared to punish you.” Mark shrugged. 

“He _did_ get a modified version of the ‘You’re the chosen one, behave better’ talk. Warlock Minseok seriously attacked him, so I wouldn’t say he’s completely okay. It gets worse every time I hear it. Can’t they understand that you’re too young to have the weight of the world on your shoulders?” Jeno grumbled. “Who do they think they are, to be lecturing you on something that’s natural for someone your age? Once I get up to Major General Taeyong’s level of recognition, I’ll lose my shit at them. I’ll return all the damage they’ve done to you.” 

“It’s not hurting me. It’s just irritating to hear it on repeat for eighteen years,” Jisung replied. “Only one person has ever tried to hurt me, and you all know how that turned out for him.”

“How could we forget? Taeyong and General Boa even had the knives out to skin him alive, but luckily ‘tenant General Leeteuk was able to stop them.” Donghyuck laughed at the memory. Jisung would never forget that man, but at least he was saved from the agony of having to watch what his siblings were about to do to him. At the time, even Doyoung and Yuta had been on the verge of killing his old mentor. It was more expected of Doyoung, who was an actual military fighter, but for Yuta, a medic, to try and get in on the action… Jisung wouldn’t forget it. 

“You guys weren’t there to see the actual scene,” Mark said gravely.

“You were?” Jeno asked curiously, and Mark nodded with the seriousness of Junmyeon. 

“I was. I remember it vividly. We were in the Council room, and this was back when ‘tenant General Leeteuk was still a part of it, y’know? He had invited me to sit in and watch the trial, saying that I’d probably be in there one day. Not important. Once Yunho revealed the full extent of what he-who-shall-not-be-named had done to Jisungie, General Boa and Taeyong’s knives were _out_. Yunho had barely even finished the sentence, but I could feel their anger from right next to Taeyeon, who would never hurt someone. That was the day I figured out that ‘tenant General Leeteuk does not fear death.” Mark said. 

“Does not fear death?” Jisung snorted. “Lieutenant General Leeteuk?”

“He stepped right in between your siblings’ wrath and their knives and that man. Without batting an eye. It’s either he trusts them to that extent--which I doubt-- or he just doesn’t care at this point,” Mark replied. “It’s not like that criminal didn’t have it coming. Lectures, I understand, but he went too far. Honestly, the lieutenant general should’ve just stayed out of the way. None of the other Council members had cared.”

“It’s ‘cause he was a part of the ‘tenant general’s squad before that, right?” Donghyuck leaned onto Mark, whose face turned red at the contact, but he slowly eased into it. 

“Probably. No one else would ever defend that monster. I don’t understand why the lieutenant general was still on his side. Just because you’re a leader doesn’t mean you can let anything slide. The ‘tenant general should’ve held his man accountable,” Mark rolled his eyes again. “That was the only time I’ve ever questioned the lieutenant general’s skills. His fighting skills are impeccable, his leadership is another story though.”

“How you deal with all this beyond me, Jisung.” Donghyuck sighed, and Jisung sent the elder a smile that was more of a grimace. 

“I have no choice but to take it silently. If I talk back, or even try to say anything in the middle of the speech, it’s seen as disrespectful. And if I’m disrespectful, then it reflects badly on Taeyong and Boa…” Jisung trailed off as he caught sight of Chenle and Felix coming back from the armory, both sweaty, both laughing their hearts out. Chenle saw their group and gestured to Felix, who waved bye before being swept away by Jeongin, who had been waiting in the shadows. 

“Oh my god, stickler for the rules Jisung just addressed the general and the major general by their names only. Is the world ending?” Jeno looked at Jisung’s face for a reaction, but Jisung’s focus was fixed on how happy Chenle looked. Jeno released his headlock and left Jisung to hang onto Mark, who now had both of the twins on his shoulders.

“Hi, guys! Heard you got into some trouble with Warlock Minseok.” Chenle laughed. 

“Word spreads so fast, how on earth…” Donghyuck asked in mild horror. 

“He dropped by the infirmary. Said you guys dropped a pot full of water onto his head, wanted to check for concussions. He’s good though.” Chenle draped himself over Jisung’s shoulders. “Jisung, you shouldn’t get in trouble again. I’ll get sad if you do.”

“Yeah, I’ll try my best.” Jisung shot a playful glare at Donghyuck and Jeno, who returned the gesture.

“That includes you too, idiots. I better not have to be cleaning up your messes in the future.” Chenle scolded the twins that have sidled up to both of Mark’s sides. 

“You don’t have to worry about it, Chenle. If we get injured, we’ll make sure to just die on the spot so you don’t have to heal us.” Jeno joked. 

“If you die, I’ll have to deal with the dead body, so just don’t die or get injured. If you guys are ever in anything but perfect health, then I’ll beat you up.” Chenle sneered.

“Woah, a medic beating up a promiser? Unheard of.” Donghyuck said. 

Chenle wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I have to be strong enough to lug unconscious people around. You’d be no trouble, promiser.” He turned his nose up at Donghyuck condescendingly, and Donghyuck took that chance to fling a pebble at the medic-in-training. The small stone hit Chenle straight in the forehead, cutting short his boasting session. Snapping his head back to Donghyuck, Chenle’s glare sent Jeno scrambling behind Mark while Donghyuck simply remained where he stood. 

“I can do this all day, med.” Donghyuck held out a palm full of pebbles and dirt and Chenle gave the elder a look that said ‘are you serious?’. The two looked deep into each other's eyes, Chenle even peeled himself off of Jisung so he could stand up straight and match Donghyuck. Jisung could see the sparks flying and inched closer and closer to Mark and Jeno. The three of them backed away from Chenle and Donghyuck, Jisung worrying about whether the sparks would set the compound on fire. 

Jisung’s breath hitched when Donghyuck made a move to take a single pebble out of his hand, and Jeno and Mark behind him froze in place. The tension continued to rise as Donghyuck lifted it out of his palm, and Jisung could feel his heart rate rising with each second. Finally, Donghyuck flicked the pebble at Chenle’s forehead again. Chenle easily dodged it, his senses having been heightened from the stand-off. Donghyuck prepared to fire another before a voice interrupted them. 

“Let’s not fight now.” Jisung turned while going into a bow, and the four around him did the same, all bending at a perfect 90 degree angle to respect the general of the DAMR. “I decided to take a short break from work and I find that Warlock Minseok has been, in his words, attacked by a flying pot of water. I also find our most talented promiser attacking our most promising medic-in-training with pebbles.” Jisung didn’t dare to look up to check Boa’s facial expression. It’d be against etiquette. 

“I’m sorry, General Boa. It won’t happen again.” Donghyuck apologized. Jisung could tell that Donghyuck was panicked, but he was trying hard to not show it. 

“At ease,” The five of them stood up slowly, trying not to do anything disrespectful to the woman who had been leading the DAMR for twenty-one years. She sent them a reassuring smile. “As long as you don’t injure anyone, I don’t have much of a problem with it. Anyway, it wasn’t my purpose to come here to scold you. Mark, Jisung, if I could see you two in the war room after dinner. There is something that we are discussing, and I’d like you two to become used to war room meetings for the future.” Mark and Jisung nodded, Mark without a shred of hesitance but Jisung with a tiny bit of skepticism. He had never been invited to a war council before. He hadn’t even been taught if there was proper etiquette for a war room. 

“Then, have a nice day. Please take care of yourselves, and please do not get into any more trouble, especially with Warlock Minseok. He has been having a hard time lately, and he needs all the reprieve he can get.” Boa told them, and all five bowed to again in unison. 

“Thank you, General Boa.” It sounded like an army of robots with how monotone and how in sync it was, but it was routine for the military compound. Any sightings of Boa was a blessing to a regular person, and all of the DAMR was expected to show her immense respect. 

Boa left soon after that, probably going back to work. Whatever they were working on consumed so much of their time that Jisung felt tired just hearing about Taeyong’s troubles. He couldn’t imagine how much his sister had to go through…

“Oh, by the way,” Chenle started excitedly, having completely forgotten about the murderous way he was looking at Donghyuck just seconds ago, “people in the infirmary have been telling me things. Did you guys know that the incrims might be beginning to experiment on their own street rats?” 

“Who told you that?” Jeno asked skeptically. “Do they have the authorization to tell you?”

“Warlock Kun. I’d say he has authorization.” Chenle replied. 

“Experimenting how? Like how they did when the war first started?” Mark raised an eyebrow, and Chenle shrugged. 

“He didn’t tell me. Said that was classified. But if they’re doing that again, I don’t know how much longer we could hold them back,” Chenle said in a voice that made it seem like he was in another world. 

“I mean, we could do it when the experiments first started. Not to mention we have more magics than back then. Do you really think that Minseok and Seola would lose to some incrim phony magic?” Donghyuck huffed. “I hate to admit it, but I’m the worst promiser we have in our ranks, and even I could probably manage to take them out.”

“Don’t forget about Changmin. He might not be ranked, but he is the sole representative of the magics in the Council for a reason.” Jisung added. 

“All valid points, except for Donghyuck being able to beat them.” Chenle teased, and Donghyuck flung another one of his pebbles at Chenle, the younger dodging it. Jeno’s eyes crinkled into the signature moon shape of the lieutenant’s eye smile that Jisung loved so much, while Mark had to bat away the pebble that came flying past Chenle and into the brigadier general’s direction. 

“I can beat them; I don’t know what you’re talking about, Chenle.” Donghyuck moved to shoot another pebble before Mark stepped in between them.

“Okay, that’s enough of that. I don’t know if you guys have been paying attention to the time, but dinner will be served in less than five minutes, which is the amount of time it takes for us to get to the dining hall,” Mark said grimly. “In other words, if we don’t get moving now, then Doyoung will probably find some way to lock us out as payback for trying to prank him. There’s no way that he hasn’t heard about it yet.” 

“You’re right.” Donghyuck and Jeno said in unison. Chenle didn’t say anything and broke out into a sprint in the direction of the dining hall. Jisung ran after him, the three older boys trailing them. 

They reached the dining hall out of breath from the sprinting they had just done, and in front of the doors, the five met Taeyong, who Jisung instantly latched on to. 

“Probably the entire compound has heard of your little incident with Warlock Minseok, Jeno and Donghyuck. Quite brave of you two, to pull something like that on one of the most prestigious warlocks in the history of the DAMR.” Taeyong laughed, and the twins reddened. 

“We didn’t mean to! It was supposed to be for Doyoung.” Donghyuck tried to defend their actions, but Taeyong just laughed again.

“I kind of figured that out. Also, Mark and Jisung,” Taeyong started, “I heard that you both were invited to the war room after dinner. Congratulations. I hope that you’re ready for the shitstorm that’s coming.” Taeyong said lightly, although his words weren’t as happy as his voice was. 

“Shitstorm?” Jisung echoed. It wasn’t like Taeyong to use language like that. He and Mark locked eyes, a tiny bit of panic showing in Mark’s, but the elder tried to mask it with an awkward smile. 

“We’ve come across a lot of information lately that could be monumental in our fight against the incrims. But we’ll talk more about this stuff later during the meeting. For now, let’s just go in and eat.” Taeyong guided Jisung, still attached to his brother, through the doors of the dining hall that had just been opened by a servant. The rest followed, though Jisung quickly broke off with Chenle to run and grab the table that they usually sat at. 

The six had gotten seated when Kun and Kunhang came to join them. “Good evening, guys. How has your day been?” Kun asked as he pulled out a seat. 

“You haven't heard?” Taeyong asked in disbelief. 

“Oh, I have. I was just kidding.” Kun laughed. 

“You guys are crazy. That's Warlock Minseok you attacked. You're lucky that you only got the two week half-confinement. But, hey, now we match punishments. It's only fitting considering that you two are the reason I got in trouble.” Kunhang pointed his soup spoon at the twins, who clutched their chests in disdain.

“That’s not our fault! You were the one who got caught! We didn’t rat you out, you just weren’t fast enough.” Donghyuck whined. 

“If you two hadn’t dragged me into your little schemes, then I wouldn’t be stuck in my room all day,” Kunhang said. “Besides, FirstDoctor Yixing might be a medic, but he’s still a magic, through and through. There’s no way I would’ve been able to escape him, no matter how fast I am.” 

“Drop it, children. Neither First Doctor Yixing nor Minseok will revoke their punishments, so it doesn’t matter whose fault it is.” Kun intervened before it escalated any more. 

“Yes, Warlock Kun.” Kunhang said while Donghyuck mumbled it skeptically.

 _Just eat the damn food,_ Jisung thought, turning his attention from the argument to the soup in front of him.

Dinner had continued peacefully, even when Doyoung came. The entire time, Jisung could feel the burning stares of Minseok’s unit. The warlock had surely told them, and although they would never do anything, it didn’t stop them from intimidating Jisung’s table. 

When Taeyong finished eating, he stood up, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “If you’ll excuse me. Kun, Mark, Jisung, I’ll see you two in the war room. Have a nice night, everyone.” Mark made an uncomfortable face as Taeyong left the dining hall. 

“Not looking forward to that.” Mark hissed through his teeth.

“Good luck. I’ve only heard rumors, but it’s apparently a huge pain in the ass to be in there when the Council is on edge.” Doyoung said. 

“Major General Taeyong said they had new information. Where would they get that?” Kunhang asked, and Jisung thought that it was his imagination, but it seemed like Jeno’s natural small smile froze in place. 

Luckily, Jisung wasn’t the only one who noticed. Kun saw the sudden awkwardness and actually managed to talk about it. “Jeno, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” Jeno replied, his smile falling back to its usual state. “I’m just worried about Mark and Jisung. It’s your first time attending a war room meeting, right? I don’t think that they taught you how to properly act in one.” 

“That’s true. Are you two going to be okay? Especially since the entire Council and the general are going to be there. If you even put the stress on the wrong word, you’d probably get in big trouble.” Donghyuck stated. 

“I’m sure that they’ll be fine. After all, Jisungie, you’ve been being polite to people your entire life. You even call them by their titles even when they’re not around.” Chenle gave Jisung a smile that Jisung had to return. 

“That’s because they _are_ my superiors. I’m still not ranked, so it’s just basic respect.” Jisung replied. 

“Oh, come to think of it, Chenle,” Doyoung turned to the Ystellic boy, “have you seen Jungwoo and Yuta?”

“They’re stuck in the infirmary. Major General Irene’s troop just came back from border control and there were a lot of casualties. Come to think of it, that group might be where all the new information is coming from.” Chenle mused. 

“They’ll at least eat later, right? It’s not good for them to skip meals, especially when working overtime like this.” Kun’s forehead wrinkled in frustration and worry. 

“Eating is the least of their worries right now. I’m sure once their work is finished that they’ll eat, but who knows when that will happen?” Chenle said thoughtfully. “I was there almost all day with Felix, but we were only able to deal with some of the open wounds. We’ll still have to deal with all the possible concussions, any blood poisoning, infections… I doubt their work will be done so quickly. We might not see them at all for a while.” Chenle said, ripping off a piece of his bread. 

“Does that mean we won’t be seeing much of you either?” Doyoung asked. 

“Probably.” Chenle mumbled through a mouth full of food. Doyoung and Kun instantly sent him a look of disgust and Chenle shut his mouth. 

“You can’t be skipping meals either, Chenle. If I have to, I’ll bring you all food while you’re working,” Kun looked Chenle straight in the eyes. “If you develop unhealthy eating habits, you’ll get sick and then you won’t be able to go into the infirmary at all. As much as I don’t want you to overwork yourself, I know that you love being in there more than anything except maybe Jisung, and even that’s a stretch.” 

Mark, who had been sitting next to Jisung, softly nudged the younger. “We should get going. Major General Taeyong already left, and the majority of the other war room members left a while ago. They might be waiting on us.” Mark whispered, and Jisung nodded in acknowledgement. 

Jisung stood up. “We should get going. I don’t know when I’ll see you next, so don’t skip your meals, Chenle. Take care.” Jisung bowed ever so slightly as a force of habit. Mark did the same before the two pushed their chairs back in.

“Okay, see you there. Tell them to give me a few minutes. There’s something I’d like to talk about with Jeno here.” Kun shot Jeno a smile and the younger writhed under the eyes of the warlock.

Jisung had been in the war room a few times when he was younger. All his trainers had been busy or deployed and Boa had no other choice but to take Jisung with her. He didn’t remember every detail, but he did remember the enormous table that had a map of Vaela drawn on it. 

Around the table were seated the members of the Council, Boa, the lieutenant generals, Leeteuk and Kibum, the major generals, Junmyeon, Irene, and Taeyong, and the warlocks, Minseok and Seola. Kun still wasn’t there yet. 

“Where’s Warlock Kun?” Yunho asked Taeyong, who gave Jisung and Mark a questioning look.

“He said that he wished to discuss something with Lieutenant Jeno before arriving at the meeting. He requested a few minutes.” Mark answered swiftly. 

“Is that so?” Yunho mused. “Then we shall wait. I would rather not have to force Major General Irene to repeat her reports from the mountains.” Irene gave Yunho a grateful yet polite smile, and the Council Head returned it with a warm one of his own. 

A few more minutes passed before Kun opened the door, an apologetic smile on his features. Although his breathing was calm, Jisung could tell that the warlock had been running because of his slightly flushed face. 

“I apologize for the delay.” Kun said, taking a seat next to his fellow warlocks. 

Yunho gave him a simple smile. “That’s quite alright, Warlock Kun. I understand that some things cannot wait. But now that you are here, we shall start. Major General Irene, if you may.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really plan out this book very well, so please tell me if you notice a discrepancy. I'll try and clarify it to the best of my ability.


	3. prophecies and clouds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: hates reading long chapters  
> Also me: puts 7000 words into mine  
> I'm sorry for such a long chapter. I'll try to make them shorter in the future

“Major General Irene, if you may.” Yunho told Irene, who cleared her throat and began to speak.

“Ah, yes, my unit and I just came back from monitoring the border. Although I tried to dissuade her, one of my members took upon herself the duty of doing reconnaissance on top of the mountain, which gave her a perfect view into the civilization of the incrims, which has not been observed since the death of the late General Sooman. She was not able to see much, but the things she did see she gave me a detailed report on. The full report is in the file folder that you each should have in front of you.” Jisung picked up the manila folder that was sitting on the table. Each person had one in front of them, and the flipping of papers could be heard as everyone looked through the documents. 

“If you do not wish to read all of it during the meeting, the summary of it is that she was able to pinpoint what seemed to be their military compound. She also saw their soldiers in the middle of training. It seems that they have magics as well, meaning that we do not have as much of an advantage in that department as we thought we had. 

“More concerning than the appearance of magics is the large tunnel that was being dug into the side of the mountain. As you all know, the inside of the mountain range is impossible to climb due to its steep and smooth sides, as was designed by the original creators. The incrims previously used ladders, but now they seem to be trying to dig their way out of the mountain range, which may prove to be disastrous if we do not stop their advances as soon as possible. 

“As for the last bit of the report concerning the incrims themselves, my member said that on all the incrims she saw, there was a small brand on their neck. According to her, the brand looked like the sun. We have yet to understand the meaning of the brand, but while returning, we speculated that it may mean that they value the sun above all else, contrary to the DAMR, which draws its strength from the moon. That is all.” Irene finished. 

“Thank you, Major General. For the first part concerning the magics, did your member see exactly how many there were?” Yunho asked, straightening his papers before putting them back down.

“She could only see nine, but the woman who saw the magics has been monitoring the skills of our own magics and determined that the worst incrim magic she saw was about at the level of Apprentice Luna.” Irene replied. 

“There should be no reason to worry then. Apprentice Luna has already drawn out all her potential and will not improve anymore. However, we do have a large number of apprentices and promisers that will far surpass her. We should not worry too much about their small number of magics and their puny abilities.” Minseok said coldly. 

“Was your woman able to determine the level of the best magic she saw?” Changmin asked. “It doesn’t matter if their weakest is at the same level as Apprentice Luna if their strongest surpasses Warlock Minseok.”

“According to the report, there seemed to be two leading magics, one female and one male. The female did not specialize, but was instead well-rounded and skilled in every field, passing the level of Warlock Seola and maybe even matching Warlock Minseok. The male was equally as skilled as his female partner, but he also seemed to specialize in the dark arts, which is why my member was so concerned about the power of our own forces.” Irene stated. 

Jisung shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Someone who was as skilled in magic as Minseok was bad enough, but if they specialized in the dark arts, that person would have no problem defeating the magics of the DAMR. And given that they were an incrim, they would have no reservations playing dirty. Jisung fidgeted with his fingers. Someone like that would be a huge problem. 

“Jisung, is everything alright?” Jisung looked up to the person whispering to him. Major General Junmyeon had a reputation with Jisung’s friends as a mother figure, but at the same time, Jisung had heard that Junmyeon was incredibly strict at times, leaving him with no clue how to act around the older. 

“Just hearing the report makes me a bit worried. I’m not exactly sure how to act in a war room meeting either.” Jisung whispered back. 

“Just act the way that you normally do. You’re very polite, and I’m sure that no one would find anything you say disrespectful. No one would even mind if you did not participate at all. I’m sure that the general only invited you so that you could get used to these meetings.” Junmyeon smiled, even though Jisung felt his pride being attacked by the older saying that no one would care if he did nothing. Wasn’t he the Klare Leu, the legendary chosen one who had been created by the moon, who was supposed to end the war with the incrims? Shouldn’t they at least ask for his opinion on things? How could they expect him to act like an adult when they treated him like a child?

Instead of saying anything back, Jisung just returned the smile like he always did to someone superior to him, which was everyone except for those not of age yet. He turned back to the conversation that Irene was leading. 

“You mentioned a tunnel. That will most likely be used for mass transportation for the incrim forces. Do you know which direction the tunnel was in?” Boa asked, looking through the manila folder for any more documents that could be useful.

“Yes. If you look in the folder, there is an artistic rendition of my member’s view of the place, as well as directions. She has a photographic memory and is talented at putting her memories into drawing, so what you see on that paper is exactly what she saw on the mountain top.” Jisung pulled out an extremely detailed picture of what was supposedly the inside of the mountains. He had never been able to go to the mountaintops, but he assumed that there probably wasn’t supposed to be a huge gaping hole in them. 

“That is… quite concerning. We shall send a reconnaissance unit to where the tunnel will probably emerge. Unfortunately, we cannot do anything to actually stop the drilling unless we send troops into the middle,” Boa said. “That will only be a last resort.” 

“Of course. We wouldn’t want to risk going into the heart of the enemy.” Yunho agreed. 

“Did she estimate the overall population of the incrims?” Changmin asked, and Irene shook her head. 

“Not that she told me of.” Irene replied. 

“It doesn’t matter, because there were only a few incrims at the beginning. Unless they multiply like rabbits, the population won’t be much of a problem.” Boa stated. 

Jisung found himself unable to pay attention to the rest of the meeting. No one asked him anything, so it was fine. Junmyeon promised to let Jisung know if anyone ever talked to him, and luckily, no one did. 

Maybe it was ten minutes when the meeting ended. Maybe it was a few hours. Jisung didn’t know. All he knew was that it was dark when he got out of the meeting room. He stretched while filling his lungs with the crisp night air. Mark came out after him, letting out a sigh. “I know that General Boa said that we were just getting used to it, but I didn’t expect to not be able to talk at all.”

Jisung chuckled. “I’m glad I didn’t have to. If I did, I’m sure I would’ve messed something up or said the wrong thing.”

“Yeah, I would’ve too. That was incredibly boring. Lieutenant General Kibum said that he’d tell me if anything important happened, so I wasn’t even paying attention past Major General Irene’s report.” Mark admitted. 

“Major General Junmyeon told me the same thing.” Jisung told the elder.

“I guess they planned it out beforehand,” He said through a small laugh. “They must know how boring it is. I wouldn’t have been able to stay awake if I had been paying attention, so I’ll have to say thanks later.”

“Me too.” Jisung said. A silence fell upon the two as they began walking back to the dormitories. They had barely gotten a few steps in before they were stopped.

“Jisung, Mark, wait.” Jisung turned around to see Boa standing behind them. Instinctively, he bowed and Mark did the same. 

“You don’t have to be so formal. From now on, I’m speaking as Jisung’s sister, not the general, so relax.” Boa gave the two a smile when they both stood up.

“Is something wrong?” Jisung asked. 

“I told Junmyeon and Kibum to let you guys space out, so you probably didn’t hear this being discussed during the war room, but I need you two to do something for me,” Boa told them. “It might’ve been easier to hear it from me as a member of Jisung’s family and not as military ranks. We’re going to need you two, Donghyuck, Jeno, and Chenle to go on a recon mission for us. We wanted to send either Jinki’s or Minseok’s unit, but Jinki’s is in the Estea region right now and Minseok’s unit is leaving for Risla tomorrow, so we can’t ask them. You guys are the only unit at the compound right now that is capable of pulling off a recon mission.” 

“Where are we supposed to go?” Mark asked cautiously, and Jisung wondered why Boa felt the need to tell them this herself. Why would it be easier to hear this from her than from the Council?

“We want you to get as close as you can to the heart of the mountains.” Jisung felt his heart seize, instantly understanding why Boa had wanted to tell him as an older sister and not as a general. He had been ‘born’ inside the mountain range, yes, but all his life he had been told what monstrous things went down beyond the walls. For Boa to send five of them so close to the place that they had been told to avoid... 

“I’m sorry?” Jisung sputtered before he could stop himself. Mark had paled next to him, eyes wide in surprise.

“I know that it’s extremely dangerous, and I would rather go out there myself then force you kids to go, but the Council says I have to stay back,” At the silence, Boa sighed. “I knew I should’ve waited a little bit. I’m so sorry about this. I never meant to force this on to you, especially when you guys are so young, but I’m afraid I don’t have a choice right now. Every second that passes is a second that the incrims use to dig out of the mountains, and when they get out, hell is going to break loose.”

Jisung stopped his sister before she could ramble any more, something that he had never heard from her prior to right now. “Boa. It’s okay. You don’t have to worry about us. Focus on your own workload. We’ll be fine.” 

“You’re going to be extremely close to the incrims. You understand the danger of that, right? You could be looking around and they could pop out and ambush you. You remember the story of Squadron 95?” Boa looked at Mark and Jisung straight on. 

Jisung remembered. A squad had gone out into the mountains and had been attacked. It was assumed that there were no survivors out of the fifty-three that had gone out, but only fifty-two bodies had been recovered, so no one actually knew. Either way, it was a story that everyone knew of. “Of course we do.” He said.

“Then you should know why I’m worried. I’m sorry it had to come to this. And then I have to tell the other three… Chenle isn’t even a medic yet-- will you guys really be okay?” Boa’s eyes were wide with fear and concern.

“We’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about telling the others. We can do that, right, Jisung?” Mark turned to Jisung, who nodded, always ready to make his sister’s life easier. “See? Just think about your own work. We can take care of ourselves. Even Jisungie is eighteen, so we’re not that young either.”

“You guys will always be kids to me,” Boa huffed. “Are you sure about this? I’m sure if I bother the Council enough, they’ll put off the operation for a little more. As much as I love the DAMR, I love you guys more.”

“Stop worrying, Boa. We’ll talk to the other three, we’ll get a plan, we’ll be fine. We have the legendary Lee Minhyung on our side.” Mark shot Jisung a death glare as soon as the words left his mouth, and Jisung responded with an innocent grin. He didn’t know why Mark hated being called Minhyung so much that he would stop smiling for it, but the details of Mark’s past were his to keep. It was just so fun to tease the elder. 

“I’m sure that Mark will take good care of you guys. I just worry, you know? I’ve practically raised you all.” Boa ruffled Jisung’s hair lovingly.

“Well, stop worrying about us and take better care of yourself.” Jisung swatted her hands away before she could mess up his hair any more.

“I won’t stop worrying. It’s instinct now. But I’ll try, just for you, Jisungie. That’s about all I have to say, so I’ll let you two go back to the dorms. Thank you for dealing with me, and thanks for telling the others. I wouldn’t have the heart to make you go if I saw their reactions. Enjoy your night.” Boa gave them a dazzling smile before she turned on her heel. 

“How do we break the news to them?” Mark wondered aloud after Boa had gone out of earshot. 

“Who knows.” Jisung replied, still looking in the direction that his extremely stressed sister had gone in.

Telling the others was a lot easier than they had expected. Once the initial shock had worn off, they were extremely curious about the task they had been assigned. 

“I can’t believe that we get to go right there. What do you guys think it’s like?” Chenle asked in awe as he curled up under his blankets. They were in Chenle, Jeno, and Mark’s room, but Jisung and Donghyuck practically lived there.

“It’s not like we’ve been there either, Chenle.” Jeno stated, leaning back against the wall.

Chenle pouted. “I know that, but I figured that you guys would at least have an idea. Since I’m not a real medic yet, I haven’t been able to leave Soln very often, let alone go to the mountains. The closest I’ve been able to go is the Hoyeon outpost with First Nurse Jinsuk, and I didn’t exactly get a lot of time to explore while I was there.”

“Well, we’ll get plenty of chances to look around while we’re there, but don’t forget to stay on your guard. Squadron 95, remember?” Mark said, and everyone’s faces darkened. 

“Is it just going to be us five?” Donghyuck dared to ask after a few moments had passed. 

“As far as I know. But the general didn’t give us details. I guess someone else will provide--” Mark was cut off by knocking on the door. He gave the entrance an irritated look before yelling, “Come in!” His annoyance was wiped off of his face when he saw who the visitor was. 

“Welcome back from hell, Jungwoo. How’s the infirmary?” Chenle asked innocently. 

“Like you said, _hell_ ,” Jungwoo replied, a sigh heaving itself out of his chest. “I’m lucky I got off, but Yuta, well, since he’s a Clinic in everything except name, he’ll be living there for a long time.” The elder threw himself onto Mark’s bed, Mark’s protests cut off by Jungwoo saying, “Don’t worry, I took a shower.” 

“Is it really that bad?” Jeno’s eyebrow rose incredulously. 

“ _Yes._ Those goddamn incrims-- Major General Irene said that there weren’t even any casualties on their side. We’re supposed to be the powerful ones, but every troop that goes out comes back like this.” Jisung noticed that Jungwoo tended to be sighing a lot more recently and briefly wondered what the problem was before spotting a large envelope in Jungwoo’s arms. 

“What’s that?” Jisung poked at the package and Jungwoo handed it over. 

“It’s for you five from the general. She said to tell you that it has the details you need.” Jungwoo replied. 

“Oh, great,” Mark reached over and plucked it out of Jisung’s grip. “Thanks, Jungwoo.”

“No problem. I just want you guys to stay safe, that’s all. If any of you comes back with even a single scratch, I’m going to set fire to the mountain myself.” Jungwoo’s smile widened, but his tone sent shivers down Jisung’s spine. 

“I-I don’t doubt it.” Mark gave Jungwoo his best attempt to not be awkward, and the elder just laughed.

“That’s all I really needed to do. I would love to take a nap, but First Doctor Yixing only gave me this break because the general wanted me specifically to deliver your info. So I’ll get going now. Good luck.” Jungwoo lifted himself from Mark’s bed and found himself trapped in a group hug that Donghyuck had dragged everyone into, including Jisung. 

Mark's face instantly became the color of a ripe tomato. “H-Hey! What the hell?” He shouted over Jungwoo’s laughs. 

“Thank you, Hyuckie. I really have to leave now though.” Everyone pulled away, Donghyuck being the last with a pout on his face. 

“Bye, Jungwoo.” Jisung did his small bow to Jungwoo, who returned the gesture. 

“Bye, Jisungie, Chenle, Jeno, Hyuckie. Mark, take care of them, okay? If they get hurt, then I'll burn you when I burn the mountains.” Jungwoo laughed, and Mark blanched. 

“He’ll take good care of us, right, Mark?” Donghyuck stared at Mark, eyes filled with mischief. The latter squirmed under Jungwoo’s steely glare and nodded. 

Satisfied, Jungwoo spun on his heel and took off for the infirmary. All five of them locked eyes and laughed. Everyone was so worried for their sake, and Jisung knew that the dream team wouldn’t let them down. 

***

In the packet of information that Jungwoo had delivered, Boa revealed that the Council wanted the dream team to be ready to leave by the next morning. Mark had offered to ask for more time, but the twins and their overblown pride refused to ask for help. 

Jisung didn’t sleep very much that night. He knew that he had to, that if he was tired then he wouldn’t be as alert as he should be, and that would cause the entire team to get into trouble. But as he lay on his back, listening to the soft sound of Donghyuck’s breathing, he found that nothing could put him to sleep. 

Jisung knew that it was a bad idea to get his body moving, but he couldn’t stay awake all night, just waiting for the sun to come up. His thoughts ran too wild for a sheltered eighteen year old. A military compound so heavily involved in a war was bound to have insomniacs, and late night snacks never hurt, so the kitchen staff tended to leave the door open for anyone who needed food. The soles of Jisung’s night shoes softly tapped against the ground as he made his way toward the kitchen. _Just a cup of water and then I’ll go back to bed,_ he told himself, even though he knew that he would probably stay up longer in the courtyard. 

The kitchen was dimly lit by a few stray candles that the staff had probably left out on purpose, and Jisung mentally thanked them, accepting his clumsiness and tendency to trip over things. 

After getting his cup of water, Jisung headed out to the courtyard. The moon rays reflected off of the small pond that Yuta had insisted on getting as part of a healing process. Leave it to Yuta to know how to best heal someone’s broken mind. Not only was the moon much easier to look at than the sun, but it represented calm. It was bright when it needed to be and gone when it was no longer needed. Even if the sun hadn’t been out that day, the moon always came to give the natural light that one needed. 

It didn’t come as a surprise to Jisung when he found out that he wasn’t the only one in the courtyard. It did shock him a little bit when he saw that it was Seola sitting on the rocks surrounding the pond, legs folded under the rest of her body and head tilted up toward the lunar body. Her eyes, filled with a milky white, fit perfectly with her ivory skin and blonde hair. She wore a pink hooded dress that was supposedly reserved for rituals only, and Jisung recognized the two apprentices silently kneeling behind Seola, both dressed in their ritual clothes. Dawon was sprinkling a powder into a bowl that Xuanyi held, then mixing the water wordlessly. They moved in a daze, none of the three ever blinking. 

When Dawon finished mixing the water, Xuanyi distributed it between two crystal clear goblets. Gemstones littered the sides and twinkled as the cloudy mixture flowed into the cup. Taking seats on either of Seola’s sides, the two apprentices held out one goblet each. Seola silently slipped her hands into the liquid. 

Jisung chugged his drink and immediately left after recovering from his stupor. Seola was incredibly smart, but she was also very shy with anyone other than her own unit, a group of six magics who were referred to as Cosmic. Seeing her in such a state was probably a once in a lifetime experience, but Jisung knew that he shouldn’t be intruding on something so private. 

Jisung had just turned away when suddenly Seola was in front of him, blocking the way inside the compound. There were no signs that neither she nor her helpers were conscious, all of their eyes matching the pale white of the moon. Jisung jumped back in surprise. He had only let her out of his sight for less than a second, and here she was, standing silently. 

“ _If you close your ears, you will never look towards the sky and feel the pain of the clouds._ ” Seola’s silvery voice cut through the cold air as Dawon and Xuanyi stared straight into Jisung’s soul.

As quickly as she had gotten in front of Jisung, Seola snapped back into reality. The sudden movement of Seola knocking the cups out of her helpers’ hands cleared their eyes as well. It took a moment for Seola to realize where she was and what she was doing. 

“Oh, Jisung, are you alright? I didn’t say anything too weird, did I?” Seola scanned Jisung’s face for any signs of discomfort or pain, and he shook his head. 

“Everything is fine, Warlock.” Jisung replied. He didn’t seem to let any of his confusion show because Seola let out a small sigh of relief. 

“Thank goodness. Dawon, Xuanyi, you two are free for the night. And Jisung, you should go to bed. You have to leave for a mission tomorrow morning, right? You need the rest.” Seola said, her eyes now filled with concern. 

“I was just about to head in. Have a nice night, Warlock Seola and Apprentices Dawon and Xuanyi.” Jisung bowed to the three magics and stepped past Seola to get inside. 

He made a stop by the kitchen to refill his water cup and then headed for his room. When Jisung opened the door, Donghyuck stirred and mumbled, “Stop staying out so late, Wong.” 

“I’m not Kunhang.” Jisung mumbled, but Donghyuck wouldn’t be able to hear him over the sound of his sleep. He crawled into his bed, flipping onto his side and pulling the blanket up to his ears. 

***

When Jisung woke up, his blanket was mysteriously neatly folded on the corner of his bed. Kunhang’s soft snores let Jisung know that the elder had stayed out extremely late last night as well and was sleeping in, while Donghyuck had risen with the sun like he always did, one of his traits that convinced Jisung even more that the promiser was the sun come down to Vaela. Jisung guessed that he had knocked his blanket off of his bed sometime during the night and Donghyuck had picked it up for him. A smile crossed his face at the elder’s care. 

Upon looking outside the window, Jisung estimated that it was almost seven in the morning, when they served breakfast. Last night, Mark decided that they would leave at nine, so Jisung had around two hours to eat and get ready for the ‘field trip’, as Chenle had been calling it.

Jisung decided to let Kunhang sleep. The kitchen staff knew about his messed up sleep schedule and would probably let him in later to get food. If not, then Jisung could always sneak some into the room before he left. He frowned at Kunhang, whose bed was covered with more clothes than actual sheets. Jisung was in the process of his usual ritualistic forehead flick when Kunhang slapped Jisung’s hand and mumbled something along the lines of ‘I’m going to rip your finger off and shove it down your throat’. 

Jisung booked it out of the room and to the dining hall. 

It was a few minutes past seven when Jisung finally made it into the dining hall, since he had to go back to the room and get his water cup from the night before. He dropped it off in the kitchen before entering the dining hall. 

Donghyuck was already there, laughing at something that Kun had said while Yuta, Jungwoo, and Mark sat silently, the dark circles underneath their eyes saying more than enough. Jisung took a seat next to Mark, who didn’t acknowledge the younger’s presence. 

“Good morning.” Jisung said quietly, knowing that Mark hated loud noises in the morning. 

“Good morning.” Yuta did his best to smile, but the bags under his eyes stopped the corners of his lips from going far. 

Jungwoo pushed a bowl of warm oatmeal toward Jisung. “Eat.” Jisung bowed his head in gratitude, a gesture that seemed to give Jungwoo a little bit of life. 

“How late did you two stay up last night?” Jisung asked cautiously. Jungwoo and Yuta had never gotten the hang of staying up late, and both of them were extremely irritable when sleep-deprived. 

“Yuta didn’t sleep, I think.” Jungwoo looked at the elder, who nodded in response. “I got an hour. But today we switch with others, so there’s a break.” Jungwoo usually talked so much, so the complete lack of words threw Jisung off, and it seemed to confuse the only other conscious people at their table, Kun and Donghyuck. Mark was still staring into his oatmeal like it held the secret to the universe, and Yuta didn’t seem to be able to comprehend how Jungwoo’s behavior was odd. 

“Good morning, guys. Hey, Yuta. Don’t get swallowed up at the infirmary, ‘kay?” Sehun came up from behind Yuta and ruffled the latter’s hair. “I’m getting someone to spy on you , and if they see you skipping meals, I’m coming back from Risla and shoving food down your throat myself.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Yuta swatted Sehun’s hand away. 

“He’s a medic. He should at least know how to take care of himself, Sehun.” Jisung would’ve stood up, but his legs refused to move, so he settled for bowing to Junmyeon while sitting. Junmyeon smiled warmly. “Good morning, Jisung. Did you sleep well?” 

“Yes.” Jisung lied. 

“That’s good. You have a long day ahead of you.” Junmyeon said, his voice dreamy as if he was imagining something. 

“You do too, Major General.” Donghyuck told Junmyeon, who nodded.

“But I’m more used to this than you kids, plus I won’t be as close to the mountains as you.” Junmyeon said as a-matter-of-factly, poking Mark’s shoulder in curiosity, obviously in awe at how the brigadier general was practically sleeping with his eyes open.

Mark jolted and swung his head from side to side, trying to recognize his surroundings. “Oh, um, hi, Major General Junmyeon, Major Sehun.”

Sehun blew air harshly out of his nose. “I thought I told you that you don’t have to call me that. You’re higher ranking than me.”

“But you’re older.” Mark replied, eyes wide with simple innocence. Sehun tapped his chin with his forefinger.

“That’s true, but it feels weird to have you call me that, so don’t.” Sehun commanded. Everyone at the table knew that Mark wouldn’t call Sehun by name only, but it was fun to see Sehun act like he had authority over the former. 

“Are you leaving at the same time as the dream team?” Kun asked curiously, to which Junmyeon nodded. 

“Hopefully. But we don’t really have a time limit for our mission, so there’s a chance that Kyungsoo won’t wake up in time to see you guys off and we won’t leave,” Junmyeon sighed. “I would like to go early, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.” 

“It leaves more time for me to bother Yuta, right?” Yuta gave Sehun a cold glare, and the elder responded by grinning. 

“Yeah, let’s not do that. Unlike you, I actually have stuff to do.” Yuta said frigidly. 

“But--” Jungwoo started, but Yuta had slapped a hand over the younger’s mouth before he could say anything else. 

“Not a word, Jungwoo.” Yuta bit out, his eye bags getting deeper with each word. Jungwoo nodded before Yuta retracted his hand. 

“Didn’t you say--” Kun was also cut off by Yuta’s hard glare. A tired Yuta was not something to be messed with, Jisung remembered, deciding to keep his mouth shut. But he more or less knew what Kun and Jungwoo were getting at, and why Yuta wanted them to shut up so badly. Today was Yuta’s sleep day, and if Sehun knew that, he wouldn’t leave his brother alone.

“Are you gonna be in the infirmary again today?” Junmyeon asked, even though his face revealed that he already knew the answer. 

“Yes.” Yuta replied instantly. 

“Aw, that’s a shame. You know, Yixing is requesting the help of any magics that have no schedule today. Are you gonna go, Mr. Warlock?” Sehun’s eyes landed on Kun, who nodded.

“Yeah. Seola had something to do today and Minseok is going with you guys, so I don’t have anything to do. Figured I might as well lend my talents,” Kun said, finishing the last of his oatmeal and standing to leave. “Donghyuck, come on. I’ll help you.” Donghyuck, who had stayed uncharacteristically silent this entire time, nodded and got up to follow Kun. He bowed silently to Sehun and Junmyeon before the two magics left the dining hall. 

“What happened with Donghyuck?” Jisung asked. The others at the table shrugged.

“He was talking with Kun earlier about something, but I wasn’t awake enough to be able to tell what he was saying.” Now that Sehun and Junmyeon had come, Jungwoo seemed much more awake, much more like his usual self. 

“Well, that’s between them. If Donghyuck didn’t tell you guys, then he probably wanted it to stay a secret,” Junmyeon stopped talking for a quick second to check his watch. “I think we’ve stayed a bit too long, Sehunnie. We should get going to the armory or else Chanyeol is going to think that we ditched him.” Sehun gave his leader a pout, but gave in nonetheless, bowing to his juniors before leaving with Junmyeon. 

“Donghyuck keeping secrets from us? Seems odd.” Jungwoo threw a confused glance toward Donghyuck’s retreating figure. 

“It’s his own problem.” Yuta mumbled into his bowl, his eyes drooping and his elbows the only thing keeping him from face planting into his breakfast. Jungwoo poked the elder’s shoulder in an attempt to make sure he stayed awake, but Yuta was already dead to the world. 

“Are you serious…” Jungwoo sighed. “I’m tired too, but you don’t see me falling asleep at the breakfast table. He should at least get to his bed before sleeping the day away.”

“Do you need help bringing him back? We have to get Mark’s blood flowing too. He’s been staring into space this entire time.” Jisung said, Jungwoo’s face brightening at the offer. 

“Would you mind? I don’t think I can bring him across the entire compound in the state I’m in.” Jungwoo’s smile accentuated the enormous bags under his eyes and the dark circles looked like they had been drawn on in black ink. 

“Yeah, it’s no problem. Mark, if you don’t finish eating in the next minute, then I’m telling Taeyong that you’re the one who ripped the painting in front of the infirmary.” Mark practically had a seizure, forcing himself to inhale the bowl of oatmeal that hadn’t been touched since Jisung came in. 

“Are you awake yet, Brig?” Jungwoo asked teasingly when Mark had finished. 

The younger nodded. “Y-Yes. Jisung, you better not tell him.” Mark’s eyes narrowed when they focused on Jisung. 

“Well, since you finished eating, I can’t really. I need it for future purposes. I would never tell without a reason.” Jisung smiled evilly, making Mark’s face lose its color. 

“Anyway!” Jungwoo clapped his hands together. “We have to get Yuta back to his room, and then you two have to assemble the dream team, right?” 

“Yeah, let’s go.” Jisung nudged Mark toward Yuta’s sleeping form. Mark sighed and got up. 

“You both are taller than him, why don’t you two do it… why do I have to help…” Mark grumbled, although his actions contradicted his words. He threw one of Yuta’s arms around his shoulders, kicking the chair out from beneath Yuta and pulled the medic to his feet. Jungwoo laughed fondly and took Yuta’s other arm. Jisung trailed behind the trio as they made their way to Yuta’s room, which was as neat as one would expect from a nurse, a major general, and a warlock. 

Mark’s face was irritated but he set Yuta down on the bed gently so as to not wake him. Jungwoo pulled the covers over his shoulders and made sure that he was as comfortable as possible and let out a soft sigh of satisfaction when he was done. 

“Thanks, Mark, Jisung. Good luck with your mission.” Jungwoo said softly, wrapping the both of them in a tight hug. 

“Bye, Jungwoo. Rest well,” Jisung replied as he patted Jungwoo’s back. “but don’t skip meals.”

“I’ll try not to.” Jungwoo’s smile now reached his eyes, the tips of his gums showing in the way that Jisung loved. Mark and Jisung went to go find Chenle and Jeno after that, leaving Jungwoo to watch over Yuta, although both of them knew that he would probably fall asleep in the process. 

Chenle and Jeno were still in bed, clinging tightly to each other in their sleep like they were scared of getting separated during the night. It took much less coaxing to wake Jeno than Chenle, a result of the younger’s hours in the infirmary. Eventually, they both were awake, and Donghyuck had come back from wherever he had gone with Kun to meet with the others in the room.

After stealing food from the dining hall, the five made their way to the armory, where Donghae was waiting with Dawon, her face showing no exhaustion despite how late she had been up last night. 

“Good morning, guys,” Donghae greeted. “We would’ve given you guys horses, but we only have two right now and it’s a safety hazard to ride three to one, so Dawon here is going to teleport you guys to the mountains. If you read the documents, you’ll know that you’ll be some ways off from the nearest outpost, so Mark,” Donghae pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Mark, “this is something that you’ll use to communicate with Dawon. When you need her to pick you up, just press this button.” 

Mark nodded in acknowledgement, pocketing the communicator. “Thank you, Colonel. I look forward to it, Apprentice Dawon.” When Mark bowed, the rest of them followed suit. 

“Be safe, kids. If you let Jeno or Donghyuck get hurt, I’m coming for you, Brigadier General.” Donghae smirked at Mark, who nodded nervously. 

“Yes, sir.” 

Donghae stared at Mark’s pale face for a few seconds before laughing. “Don’t worry. I trust that you’ll take care of them. And I’ve raised them to take care of themselves, right?” Donghae’s gaze now landed on the twins, who squirmed uncomfortably under their older brother’s gaze. 

“Anyways, be safe. Jisung, Chenle, don’t you two get hurt either. Can’t have our best medic-in-training and the Klare Leu injured.” Donghae said. 

“That might be offensive to Yerim and Yujin, Colonel.” Chenle replied lightly. 

“Ah, all jokes. You all bring something to the table, so that’s why I can’t afford to have any of you injured. I’ve kept you too long. When you’re ready, just go. Watch your surroundings. Stay alert. Stay safe. Good luck.” Donghae slapped everyone’s shoulders before leaving. 

“Apprentice, I think we’re ready.” Mark told Dawon, who had been waiting silently all this time. Dawon nodded wordlessly before mumbling something under her breath.

Within an instant, Jisung was in the middle of a thick forest. The air was cool yet humid at the same time, causing somewhat of a shock to Jisung’s lungs. The others had stood unharmed near him. Dawon was a little in front of Jisung, the bottom of her pants wet from the morning dew of the plants that she had teleported into. 

“Please don’t hesitate to call me if something happens. You don’t need to return to this place. I will come wherever you press the button from.” Dawon told Mark. Mark nodded and then Dawon disappeared, leaves popping up from where she had been before. 

“Like I said last night, we’re not splitting up. We stay together, and don’t let anything escape you. Out here, everything could be a threat, and I’ve been told by too many people that they’re going to come after me if you guys get hurt.” Mark said. 

“Don’t worry, we can stay safe.” Donghyuck huffed as they started following the trail that Mark had mapped out the night before. It was supposed to take them to the tip of the mountain, looking into the heart of the range. 

“You’re acting like we’re five year olds.” Jeno added, dodging a branch that had come zooming at his face. 

“Considering that you were put on half-confinement for two weeks…” Chenle’s statement caused the twins to whip their heads around to glare at the medic-in-training. 

“He does have a point.” Jisung backed his best friend up, and he earned a smile in gratitude from Chenle but a pout from Jeno. Donghyuck ignored his comment in favor of bothering Mark, who was walking at the front, constantly checking the map. Despite Donghyuck’s pestering, not once did Mark let his eyes leave the map. 

The conversation stopped then, and after a while of silent walking, Mark finally stopped. “Starting here, we’ll be extremely close to where most of our reports show the incrim patrols. So your alertness needs to be all the way up. Sensitivity is key. Even if you think you’re imagining it, you tell everyone.” Jisung and the other three nod in affirmation, and Mark begins walking again, his footsteps much more gentle and silent than before. 

Jisung kept his head on a swivel, watching the trees and foliage intently in case an incrim had decided to hide in the greenery. It was completely dead silent as Jeno slowed his pace down until he was next to Jisung. 

“I may have heard something.” Jeno whispered.

Jisung widened his eyes at the elder. “Shouldn’t you be telling Mark then?” Jeno shook his head, the tiniest bit of panic showing in his usually cheerful eyes. 

“I don’t think that they actually mean to hurt us.” Jeno replied.

“‘They’? You saw them?” Jeno nodded. “Jeno, this goes beyond what you think about them. This is a safety issue that could get us killed. We have to tell Mark.” Jisung took a step toward the leader, but Jeno grabbed his arm, an action that gained the attention of Chenle. 

“What’s going on?” Chenle asked as quietly as he could so as not to alert Mark and Donghyuck to their conversation. 

“Jeno heard something. He even saw people, yet he doesn’t want to tell Mark because he doesn’t think they’re a threat.” Jisung told Chenle. 

Chenle looked at Jeno in surprise and concern. “I know you’re nice, Jeno, but this is something different entirely. If you don’t tell Mark, then we could be in big trouble. They might not hurt us now, but if they know that we’re here, they could always go back to their place and get reinforcements that could kill us. We have to tell Mark.” Jisung nodded in agreement. 

“Alright…” Jeno took a reluctant step forward when Jisung froze, the two beside him doing the same. 

“Erm… where are Mark and Donghyuck?” Chenle asked, fear showing in every word. 

Jisung locked eyes with Jeno and Chenle before the three collapsed into a circle. “Go forward, Jisungie. Watch the ground. I’ll watch the trees and where I saw them. Chenle, try your best to watch the bushes. They could be anywhere at this point.” Jisung didn’t know if Jeno was using ‘they’ to refer to the incrims or Mark and Donghyuck, but it probably applied to both groups. 

“Jeno!” Donghyuck’s shrill voice called through the trees, and while Jisung knew that it was dangerous to go running without properly assessing their surroundings, there was no way that he would stop Jeno from breaking into a sprint in the direction of his twin’s voice. Jisung and Chenle followed the lieutenant through the forest, stopping when they found Mark and Donghyuck. 

“I didn’t want to yell, but you guys vanished and I didn’t know what else to do.” Donghyuck threw his arms around his twin, frowning sheepishly. 

“That’s okay, Hyuck. I know you thought you had to,” Jeno reassured Donghyuck and then looked at Mark. “Mark, I have something I need to tell you.”

“Go on.” Mark said, pulling a pair of binoculars out of his bag. 

“I saw something.” Jeno confessed. After he said that, there was a small rustle that Jisung wouldn’t have heard if he hadn’t been paying attention. Two bodies flew across the sky and landed perfectly in another tree, standing directly in front of the sun. Jisung’s eyes zeroed in on the suns burned into their necks. The two had white hair that shimmered in the sunlight, and Jisung remembered: 

‘ _If you close your ears, you will never look towards the sky and feel the pain of the clouds._ ’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe this chapter was a bit bad...? I'm not feeling too confident about it, but please tell me if you want to see more of this!  
> Stream Kick It, Dr. Bebe, and Scream for clear skin I guess  
> Stay safe from the plague


	4. heat and anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you need me to clarify, incrim is just a shorter version of 'incriminated', and it's used to refer to the people inside the mountain range.

A moment of silence passed before the shorter of the two incrims spoke. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing here? You’re lucky you haven’t been killed yet, so I suggest that you answer my question.” 

“Now, now, let’s not be so hostile towards them, Renjun. Maybe they come in peace.” The taller one jumped down from his branch and onto the ground in front of Jisung. 

“Maybe they don’t and we’re the ones who get killed. You know that Create Wonwoo would bring us back to life and kill us again if that happens.” The shorter, Renjun, followed the taller boy onto the ground. He wore a scowl on his face as he surveyed Jisung’s group. 

“We won’t let that happen. I’ll kill them before they even get close, so don’t worry,” The taller one had a grin that spread even wider than Jungwoo’s, a dazzling set of white teeth showing through his lips. After addressing Renjun, he turned to Mark. “You look like the leader here. Now answer the question. Who are you guys? What are you doing here?” Jisung furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. How had this incrim picked out Mark as their leader so easily?

“I’m not supposed to say.” Mark said as calmly as he could. Out of the corner of his eye, Jisung saw Donghyuck and Jeno lock eyes, but Renjun’s scowl, growing ever more hostile, caught his attention more.

“What? We give you a chance to explain yourself and you give us this bullshit? Ya, Jaemin, just let me at them already. I’ll get it done quickly.” Renjun spat at Mark. Donghyuck pulled Chenle and Jisung behind him, holding his arms out to shield the two from the incrims. 

Jaemin’s smile didn’t falter, but annoyance began to seep into the playfulness from before. “Renjun, calm down or I’ll knock you out. We’re here on a trial basis. If we fuck this up, then you know what’s going to happen,” Renjun’s anger sputtered and died at Jaemin’s cold tone. “Answer me, rat. If you don’t, then I might as well just let Renjun have his way.”

“But--” Mark’s voice caught in his throat when Jeno took a step toward the incrims. 

“Hey, Mark, shut up,” Jeno said in a penetrating voice. He took a deep breath and then put on his best smile to rival Jaemin’s. “Hi. We’re from the DAMR, and we're here on a reconnaissance mission. There. I answered your questions.” 

Jaemin’s eyes widened as his grin fell off his face, but it was back just as quickly as he let out a cheeky laugh. “I like you. Mark, are you the leader or is this kid?” Mark’s lip twitched at being addressed by first name by an incrim. Donghyuck slowly kept taking steps back, pushing Chenle and Jisung with him as he put distance between them and Jaemin and Renjun. 

“Kid?” Jeno echoed incredulously. “We’re probably the same age, _Jaemin_.”

“Well, you’ve got more balls than Mark. Is he actually your leader--Renjun, put it away. I doubt they have the ability to harm us.” Jaemin didn’t have to face his companion to know that Renjun was beginning to take out a knife. Renjun grumbled angrily as he shoved it back into its cover. 

“He’s our leader,” Jeno replied without skipping a beat. “He just knows better than to waste his time with you.” Jaemin smirked as he advanced toward Jeno. Jisung could hear Donghyuck’s breath stop and the elder's body froze. 

“Waste his time with me? Any time spent with me is a blessing.” Jaemin boasted, his body coming closer and closer to Jeno’s with each passing second.

“Look at you. You think you’re God’s gift to Vaela. Hate to burst your bubble, but you’re not. God has only given one gift and it’s not you.” Jeno didn’t move an inch, even when Jaemin’s face was right in front of his. Jisung wanted to run out from behind Donghyuck and slap the smirk right off of the incrim’s face, and he wasn’t the only one. Donghyuck’s entire body was cringing with each movement Jaemin made, the desire to slaughter Jaemin radiating off of his body like it was the only thing he was living for. 

Right before Jaemin’s nose made contact with Jeno’s, the white-haired boy pulled back suddenly. “You’re interesting. All of you are. A leader who doesn’t talk, a magic who has the same aura as the sun, a small and weak lamb, a child made with the moon’s power, and a soldier who doesn’t know when to back down. I like it.” Jaemin laughed evilly. 

“No, don’t do it, Jaemin…” Renjun groaned, but Jaemin raised a hand, signalling Renjun to be quiet. The shorter rolled his eyes in annoyance. 

“I’m sure you know from Renjun saying it, but my name is Jaemin. If you haven’t figured it out, I’m an incrim, and so is Renjun here. We had the same mission as you: to do recon on this part of the mountain. Well, sort of, I mean, we always--”

Renjun slapped a hand over Jaemin’s mouth. “You’ve already told them enough. You can’t seriously expect them to not betray us. You can’t keep trying to make friends with the rats! Are you stupid, Nana? They’d kill us as soon as they got the chance!” Renjun threw a look full of anger toward the dream team, but there was another emotion as the foundation of everything. Fear. 

“Not everyone is like that fatass. They could be like Johnny. You didn’t trust him when he first came, did you? But now you’re the most attached to him other than Ten.” Jaemin said, pushing Renjun’s hand off of his face calmly. 

“But we can’t take that chance. Nana, let’s just go back.” Renjun begged, every trace of anger gone in favor of the true terror that Renjun felt toward the dream team. When Jaemin saw Renjun’s eyes, he let out a sigh and clasped Renjun’s hands between his own. 

“Okay,” Jaemin said gently before turning to Jeno. “Maybe I’ll see you guys again, maybe not. I hope I do.” There was sudden melancholy in Jaemin’s voice that had been so full of arrogance just seconds before, and Jeno gave him a nod.

The two disappeared into thin air after that. Donghyuck abandoned Chenle and Jisung to run to Jeno, who was holding his cheek in surprise while his face reddened. “Jeno, are you okay? Did that incrim hurt you?” Donghyuck fussed over his twin, checking over every inch of his body for injury. 

“N-no. I’m fine, Hyuck. Mark, we should call Dawon now.” Jeno gained his composure quickly and turned to Mark, who nodded, pulling the communicator out of his pocket. 

“Yeah. Jisung, do me a favor. Grab the camera out of my bag and take a picture of the heart of the mountains for me.” Jisung moved for what seemed like the first time in an eternity, opening Mark’s bag and taking out the small camera. He quickly snapped a picture of the gaping hole in front of him and put it back in Mark’s bag. 

When his bag was closed, Mark pressed the button. Dawon appeared in front of them no more than ten seconds later, her face covered by a thin veil but surprise visible nonetheless. 

“I did not expect you to be done so early. Is everything alright?” Dawon asked, concerned. 

“No, we looked at where we should’ve. We moved quickly but paid attention to everything, so there is no need to worry.” Mark replied. Dawon nodded in acknowledgement and then they were back at the military compound. Mark bowed in gratitude, and Dawon did the same before leaving. 

Afterwards, Jeno instantly headed for his room, mumbling something about being tired, which Jisung didn’t doubt. Donghyuck and Chenle headed to the infirmary to help care for the casualties in Irene’s troop. Jisung had wanted to help them, but Chenle protested heavily against it, saying that he didn’t want Jisung to get sick. So Jisung was left on his own while Mark gave his report to the war room. 

In the common room, Jisung found Doyoung and Kunhang playing a game of cards with three lieutenants named Changbin, Minho, and Bang Chan, all from the same unit. The five went in a circle, each slapping down a card on the table faster than Jisung could register. By the time he made it over to them, Doyoung had put down a jack and immediately, four hands slammed onto the table like they were trying to kill someone. Doyoung didn’t even get the time to move his hand off of the deck before it was buried. His face contorted in pain as the others complained. 

“Hey, you didn’t move your hand! It doesn’t count!” Changbin shouted. 

“You think I got the chance to move it? I would’ve!” Doyoung spat, shaking his hand out. “Kunhang, take the deck. Your hand was on top of mine.” Kunhang smiled happily and scooped the pile of cards into his hand. 

“That’s a load of bull. He’s the closest to you, of course he got it first. I wanna change seats.” Minho said. 

“Not happening.” Kunhang pulled his cards close to his chest and curled up on his armchair. It was then that Doyoung noticed Jisung coming into the room. He set his cards down and opened his arms. Jisung climbed into the elder’s lap while Minho pouted. 

“If you’re so salty about it, just take my cards, Minho. Now that Jisungie is here, I’m not playing. Plus you guys destroyed my hand in the last round, and I’m not repeating that.” Doyoung said with a tinge of annoyance as he hugged Jisung in a vice-like grip. 

“Great,” Minho reached out to grab Doyoung’s cards, but Bang Chan cut in front of his junior and grabbed them for himself. “Chan! Give it! Doyoung said for me to take them!” Minho threw an offended look at Bang Chan, who just shrugged. 

“I don’t actually care who gets the cards. Just know that I’m not playing.” Doyoung nuzzled into Jisung’s shoulder.

“Oh, come to think of it,” Bang Chan turned to Jisung, “you went on a recon mission today, right? How was it?”

The first thing that came to mind was Jaemin’s smile, but there was no way that Jisung could tell anyone about that. Renjun’s terror also held a large portion of Jisung’s memories of the mission. He figured that he should just play it safe. “It went well. We looked around, got a sense of where things were.” Jisung told the elder. 

“Did you look into the heart of the mountains?” Kunhang asked curiously. “Did you see any of the incrims?” Jisung was incredibly tempted to tell Kunhang ‘Yeah, we met two of them, and they kind of hated us’, but Renjun and Jaemin were a secret that Jisung would never speak about unless Mark gave him permission to. 

So instead, Jisung just shook his head. “Well, that’s good. If you don’t run into any of them, then there’s less danger.” Changbin noted, their card game now abandoned in favor of curiosity. 

“I did get to look into the mountains, but I don’t know if I’m actually allowed to talk about it.” Jisung said. 

“The Council probably wants you to keep your mouth shut about it. They’re gonna keep everything you saw a secret until it’s too late to do anything but send us out on pointless missions.” Minho said bitterly as he snuck a card onto the table, immediately slapping it again when he saw that it was a jack. Changbin, Kunhang, and Bang Chan gave him an indignant look, but Minho shrugged, an innocent smile on his face. 

“It’s only really your unit and Changgu’s unit.” Doyoung stated, causing a grumble to come out of Bang Chan’s chest. 

“I’d like to have a talk with whoever is deciding our missions. Especially Pentagon. I know he’s a medic, but they haven’t let Yanan go on a mission with his members for almost a year. Literally everyone has been requesting for them to let Yanan go, even people not in his unit. And for us,” Bang Chan groaned, “I’m just really sick of them.”

“No one blames you,” Kunhang chuckled. “Politicians suck. They don’t consider your feelings at all. I guess we got sort of lucky, right? The people that late General Sooman left to take care of us do an okay job.”

“They kind of treat Major General Suho’s unit like shit though. They’re in the Rislic region now, right? There was no reason at all to send them there, but they did, so I wonder if your guys actually care about them.” Changbin put a seven down, finally continuing the game. The rest of them mumbled in agreement.

“Well, they work Major General Taeyong and Brig General Mark to the bone, so maybe there are some flaws there.” Bang Chan put a card down. A three. When Kunhang set down a seven, Minho’s hand shot out like lightning and slammed the small pile. 

Everyone else, including Jisung, gave Minho a confused look, and he just grinned. “Sandwich.” With that revelation, a groan went around the people who were still playing. 

“None of us were paying attention,” Kunhang whined. 

“That’s your problem,” Minho scoffed. “Even if Doyoung dropped out like a loser because Jisung came, I’d like to keep playing.” Doyoung sneered at Minho, pulling Jisung even tighter, which Jisung didn’t know was possible. 

Changbin said something under his breath as he put a card down. 

***

Jisung wanted to hold out until after lunch to take a nap. Unfortunately, while Doyoung was muscular, for some weird reason, he felt like a pillow, so Jisung accidently fell asleep in his lap, even through the chaos going on around him. When he woke up, he was on one of the common room couches with Doyoung’s jacket draped over him. Glancing at the large grandfather clock, he scrambled up and rushed to the dining hall. Kun and Taeyong would nag him to death if he skipped any meals, especially after coming back from a mission. 

Yuta and Jungwoo were significantly more awake than before, Yuta even partaking in a conversation with Doyoung. Jungwoo was chatting animatedly with Kunhang, Chenle, Donghyuck, Jeno, and Mark. Miraculously, Taeyong had somehow managed to slip out of his duties to get to lunch on time and was in the middle of a debate with Kun about whether Ystellic food was better than Lokstinian. Taeyong caught sight of Jisung coming into the dining hall and nodded to a seat that was open between Doyoung and Chenle. 

“Sleep well, Jisungie?” Doyoung asked as he stopped talking with Yuta temporarily. 

“Yeah, thank you for covering me.” On the way, Jisung had folded Doyoung’s jacket and now he handed it back to the captain. 

“Of course. We can’t have you sick. Chenle is struggling enough in the infirmary, right, Lele?” Doyoung called out to the younger, and Chenle turned. 

“Actually, about that,” Chenle’s words made everyone stop their conversations and turn to the second youngest of their group, “First Doctor Yixing and Second Doctor Heechul said that I’ve been working too many hours for a medic-in-training, so I’m not supposed to go back in for the next two days.” Chenle’s words shocked Jisung, as well as the rest of the group. Chenle, not allowed in the place that he loves more than himself? Jisung agreed with the fact that Chenle was working a lot, but not letting him help was torture. 

“So they banned you for the next two days, essentially.” Taeyong got over his surprise incredibly fast, like he had never even felt anything. 

“Yeah, pretty much,” Chenle scratched his head, melancholy coating his features. “I’m hating it already. I haven’t been working that much, have I? Even if I have, that’s no reason for them to kick me out. The doctors work more than me, but they’re not taking any breaks. No one is telling them to get out of the infirmary. I want to help too. It’s my job. It’s the only thing I’m good at.”

“You’re not even of age yet, Chenle. Of course they’re kicking you out. If you’re not an official medic, then there is a certain amount of hours that you can work before you’re not allowed to. They’re just trying to take care of you,” Yuta stated. “There’s no point in wrecking your health when you’re so young.” 

“There are things you can do for them without being in the infirmary. For one, take care of yourself. If you keep working like this, you’ll definitely get sick. If you’re sick, then that adds to their work. You don’t want to make them work more than they have to, right?” Taeyong asked the Ystellic boy, who shook his head. 

“But I just want to help.” Chenle mumbled, bowing his head so far down that he was speaking into his chest. 

“You’re a big help to us, Chenle.” Jisung said as he took his best friend’s hand in his own. Chenle tried to give Jisung a smile, but it came out pained and depressed. It hurt his heart to see Chenle like that. 

“He’s right, you know?” Kun added. “Just because you’re not with them doesn’t mean you’re not helping anyone.” Even though Chenle was curling into himself, Jisung pulled him closer so the elder was nestled in his chest, and Kun reached across the table to rub Chenle’s head. 

“Yeah.” Chenle let out a shaky breath, and judging by the way that his body was heating up, Jisung could tell that he was on the verge of breaking into tears. Doyoung fidgeted nervously next to Jisung, no doubt feeling guilty that he had somewhat caused the sudden plummet in the mood. Kunhang, who was sitting on Chenle’s other side, quietly said something in the Ystellic dialect. Chenle pulled himself off of Jisung after Kunhang’s comment and the two, along with Kun, began a conversation that no one other than Jungwoo could understand. 

Jisung looked around the table when everyone had gone back to their previous conversations and saw Jeno poking at his food with his fork. He guessed that Jaemin had done something to the elder. Other than Donghyuck and Donghae, not many people ever had the nerve to get that close to Jeno, who was one of the best fighters in the DAMR. For someone, an incrim no less, to be so arrogant and purposely provoking, Jisung could understand why Jeno was so shaken. And it wasn’t like Jaemin was hideous either. Jeno was only human after all. 

Mark’s eyebags dug deep into his face, making it seem like his entire face was caving in on itself, but he still wore a smile as he talked with Donghyuck, Doyoung, Yuta, and Taeyong. Occasionally, he even laughed, showing no signs of his exhaustion. He made eye contact with Jisung while Jisung was watching, and Mark tilted his head curiously. “Everything okay, Jisungie? You’ve been pretty quiet lately. Did you sleep enough last night?” Mark asked, concern laced through every word that he said. 

Jisung nodded. “Yeah. I’m just not really used to the teleportation, since whenever I go out I have to use the horses.” And it wasn’t a lie. When Jisung got the rare chance to leave Soln, he would only go to close places, like the city of Kima, which was only around a ten minute ride from the outskirts of the capital. He never really needed to use the teleportation that was used when going to the Rislic, Estean, or Ystellic regions. 

“That’s reasonable. Even if you’re not the one casting the spell, it takes a lot out of you,” Donghyuck mused. “But Dawon _did_ have it harder.” The others mumbled in agreement. 

“I mean, at least you get to rest now, right? I doubt that the Council will send you guys out again for a while, especially since some of you are still underage. They might make ridiculous decisions at times but they’re reasonable and care about the youth of the DAMR.” Taeyong said. 

“Are we still included in that demographic?” Doyoung chuckled. 

“Ya, we’re not that old yet, Doyoung. Taeyong isn’t even twenty-five yet. We still have a while to go. Besides, the youngest member of the Council is Taeyeon, right? She’s turning thirty-one, so they still should treat us like the youth.” Kun replied. 

“You’re old compared to the rest of us though.” Donghyuck teased, earning a smack from Taeyong.

“Five years older than you is not old. You’re just a baby.” Taeyong turned away, his tone playful even with a pout on his face. 

“Yeah, right,” Jeno looked away with an eye roll and a small laugh. Taeyong smacked him in retaliation. “But you’re halfway to fifty! You are old!” Jeno whined, to which Taeyong clicked his tongue at the younger. 

“Older than you doesn’t mean old.” Taeyong folded his arms, his playfulness contradicting his frown.

“Hey, at least you’re not as old as Kun, right?” Kunhang butted in, ending his short conversation with Kun and Chenle.

“Wait, I’m older than Kun though?” Taeyong said, a look of mild confusion spreading on his face. 

“You don’t act like it. Kun is an old soul.” Chenle joked. Kun lightly hit the younger’s head as retribution. 

“Let’s just say that you guys are still young,” Mark cut in. “It’ll never end otherwise.” 

“I’m just saying facts.” Taeyong shrugged. 

“When you reach fifty, you’ll be old. You’re halfway there, but not quite yet. For now, you’re young.” Jisung said monotonously, and his brother sent him a smile. 

***

The next week, during a game of hide and seek, Boa approached Jisung. “Jisungie, where’s Mark? I need to talk to him.” His cover blown, Jisung dropped out of the tree that he was using as a hiding spot. 

“I honestly have no clue. He’s always been good at hiding. I can help you look though, and Donghyuck is helping too,” Jisung told his sister. “If I had to guess, then he would be near the archery range.” Boa nodded and the two of them started walking toward the training grounds. “Am I allowed to ask what you’re talking to him about?” 

“Of course you are. The war room wants to send you guys out on another recon mission, so I have to tell him about that.” Boa turned onto a shortcut through the forest, pushing a branch out of the way and holding it back as Jisung passed. 

“Another mission?” Jisung echoed. “It hasn’t even been that long since the last time. What’s the rush?” 

“Well, the information that Mark came back with was apparently the most advances we’ve made in a while. The incrims are making that tunnel out, remember? So we have to look around more to find the exact place to reinforce. Mark did well with finding the general area, but it doesn’t mean anything if we can’t block them in.” 

“But they still get out through the top, right?” 

“It’s in less numbers than it would be if they could use the ground. There are only so many people you can send out using ladders, but if there’s a big open walkway for them to use, they’d send out more soldiers.” 

After the encounter with Renjun and Jaemin, Jisung had been wondering if the incrims were truly bad people, and before he could stop it, he was speaking. “Are the incrims really that bad? They’re human like us, right? Why can’t they come out? Can we judge them based on who their parents are?” Boa stopped walking and turned to face Jisung, an incredulous look forming across her usually gentle features. 

As quickly as it appeared, the hesitance disappeared and was replaced with confusion. “I don’t actually know. You have a point, Jisungie. I was just raised being told that they’re savage, that they’re not fit to live out here. I’ve never met one, so I wouldn’t know what they’re like. I’m sure that there’s hope for some of them, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re the reason that over half of Vaela has died.” Boa’s conviction came back, although Jisung hoped that he had managed to shake her foundation a little bit. He wanted to know more about the incrims, and if they were trapped inside the mountains for his entire life, then how was he supposed to set the world to the way it used to be? Jisung sincerely doubted that the incrims were an imperfection that he was supposed to cleanse. After all, just because their ancestors were criminals didn’t mean that Renjun or Jaemin deserved to be stuck in there for all their lives, or anyone else in there. Even if they snuck out through the top of the mountains, they might be killed because of the sun on their necks. Their person wouldn’t be considered at all, just their ancestry. 

“But the new generations have nothing to do with the virus. I’m sure they’re just as affected by it as the rest of the world. Wouldn’t it be even worse for them, because they have no way to get the correct medical herbs that they need?” If he was being honest, Jisung was a little scared of what a general could do to him if he kept defending the incrims, but Renjun and Jaemin deserved that much, didn’t they? Renjun needed to know that not all of the DAMR was the same. Jisung had an idea of who the ‘fatass’ that Renjun was talking about was, and he hated that his old mentor had left such an impression of Renjun, and probably Jaemin as well, although he was better at hiding it. 

“There’s nothing we can do about it, Jisung. I’m following the orders that I receive from both the Council and the politicians. As powerful as I may seem, I’m still just a soldier. I can’t do anything but obey. I would love to get to know them, but I’d probably just get convicted of treason or something like that,” Boa sighed, continuing to walk towards the archery range. “I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for something you can’t control. The Council sucks anyway.” Jisung reassured Boa, who turned around to rub his head in affection, a miniscule smile on her face. 

“They do, don’t they? I’m sure that you’d be better than them,” Boa said as they emerged into the training grounds. “But out of curiosity, what made you start thinking about the incrims like that? This might be the first time I’ve seen you openly ask questions about something like this. Did something happen?”

“No.” Jisung replied instantly. 

“I see.” Boa turned away from him, a smile on her face. “I’m glad you’re thinking for yourself. Mark! Are you here?” 

Mark’s head poked out from the middle of a group of targets and he groaned once he saw Jisung. “Am I that predictable?” 

“Yes.”

“Damn.” Mark crawled out of his hiding spot and bowed once he got close enough to Boa. “What brings you here, General?” 

“I need to talk to you about a new mission the Council wants to send the dream team on. Another recon mission, around the same area as last time.” Boa told him. Leaves crunched behind the trio in the direction of the forest, and when Jisung turned around, he saw Jeno emerging from the undergrowth. 

“Another?” Jeno asked curiously, a look forming on his face that could only mean eagerness. Odd, considering that Jeno had been the one who was the most affected by the mission last time. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t be intruding.”

“That’s alright, Jeno. You would’ve known sooner or later. But yes, the Council has requested that you five go up into the mountains again and look around more thoroughly since we have a better idea of where you need to be. Unfortunately, you only have until tomorrow to prepare like last time. If they send you out again after this, I’ll try to give you an earlier notice.” 

“Don’t worry about it, General. After all, we don’t need that long to get ready, right? All we have to do is drop by the armory for minimal stuff and then we’re done. It’s only a recon mission after all.” Mark said. “Will we be getting documents like last time?”

“It’s just tiny stuff. Probably fits on a single paper. I’ll have Mina bring it by later. I would let you get back to your game, but Donghyuck and Chenle are coming this way, so unless you move faster than Bang Chan, there’s not much chance of staying hidden.” As soon as she said that, Jisung could hear Donghyuck and Chenle at the entrance of the training grounds. They had seconds until they were found, and Jisung simply accepted it. 

“Thank you for the announcement, General.” Mark started to bow, but Boa stopped him before he could finish. 

“Don’t worry about it. You had to know eventually, so it was either me or the Council telling you, and I think I know your preferences,” Boa said lightly. “I’ll see you around then. Take care of yourselves, please.”

“Found you!” Donghyuck shrieked from where the archery range started. 

“Yep, you found us. Hey, we have to go on another recon mission tomorrow.” Mark told the two as they came closer. 

“On the mountains?” Chenle asked.

“On the mountains.” Jeno replied, and Jisung didn’t miss the look of excitement in his eyes. _How interesting_. 

***

Despite the fact that it was late winter, Jisung thought that he would die of a heat stroke, even with the trees filtering the light from the sun. The mountains were sweltering. Sweat dripped off of his face as he continued moving through the forest, pushing branches aside and marking tree trunks with a stick of bright blue chalk that Donghae had given him before they left. Bugs were coming out now, attracted by the blazing sun and burning temperatures. Jisung would be lucky to get out of this mission tick-free. Mosquitoes buzzed near his ears, and he did his best to shake them away, but they always came back. He hated the heat. 

Mark’s plan had been to split up, something that Donghae protested heavily against but accepted in the end. As of right now, Jisung was by himself, waiting for one of the pairs to come and split with him, but he wasn’t exactly excited to get a partner right now. He didn’t need one anyway. All he had to do was look around and make sure that he reported any holes or pits to Mark. 

Jisung didn’t know what he expected from a forest, but there was too much green. The canopy turned all light that reached the ground the color of nature, and if he was being honest, it was too much for his eyes. Yeah, there was the occasional flower, but other than the rare flash of yellow or purple, everything was tinted with green. 

Wiping away the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, Jisung marked another tree with the chalk. While his back was turned, a rustle came from behind him. He turned around slowly, hoping it to be someone that he knew, but he was mildly disappointed and scared when he saw Renjun’s wry face. 

“You. The baby that hid,” Renjun said with surprise. “I knew I heard people out here, but I didn’t expect you to be out here. Why are you back? Don’t tell me you’re here to make our lives more miserable than before.”

“I don’t want to. I want to know you better.” Jisung told Renjun, whose scowl seemed permanent on his face. 

“Then why are you here? Don’t you come here to look at our mountains so that we can’t leave? You report everything you see to that stupid Council of yours, don’t you?” Renjun spat. 

How did Renjun know about the Council? Who told him? Unless they had taken a member of the DAMR captive to get information, there should be no way for them to know. So who was the person who told them?

“The Council doesn’t know about you.” Jisung didn’t ask Renjun anything and instead tried his best to get Renjun to stop being so hostile towards him. If Renjun had a wall, then there would be no way for Jisung to learn more about the lifestyle of the incrims, whether or not they were something that Jisung had to eliminate in the end when he fulfilled the prophecy. 

“You didn’t tell them? Isn’t that withholding of information? Do you guys not have rules against that?” Renjun asked incredulously, eyebrow raising as the corner of his lip twitched. 

“We do.” Jisung recalled Donghae teaching him about the Lokstinian government and laws when he was ten. 

_‘And since you’re very young right now, you’ll only be sent on recon missions probably. Those are used to collect information and you’re supposed to relay it_ all _back to the Council during briefings. If you keep anything from them, that’s punishable by banishment, so don’t ever do that.’_

“Then why would you do it?” Renjun growled, his angry caution still not disappearing even with Jisung revealing that they had hidden his and Jaemin’s existence. _A shame. I thought that would’ve at least softened him a little._

“Because if they knew about you, then we wouldn’t be able to go see you anymore. They’d sent out a different unit to go take care of you two. One that is much less open-minded than we are. Like I said, I just want to get to know you better. I’m sure the rest feel the same.” Jisung told Renjun. He expected some sort of positive reaction and was somewhat relieved when Renjun started laughing, even if it was a laugh that was obviously not happy.

“Is that it? You want to protect us?” Renjun chuckled. Instantly, the smile was gone and replaced with the most angry face that Jisung had ever seen. “You think that Jaemin and I can’t take care of ourselves? You think that we need protection from rats like you? I may have fallen low, but not low enough that I need help from the very people that have ruined my life beyond repair, the people who think that I’m a piece of shit just because of who my ancestors were, who are trapping me in a single place just because of the sun on my neck. No thank you. I’m not that pathetic. I don’t need your pity.” Renjun bit out, baring his teeth at Jisung while his face looked like the devil incarnate. 

Jisung took a step back. This did not go the way he had hoped. As Renjun advanced and flicked a switchblade out, Jisung realized that he would be lucky if Renjun didn’t slit his throat right now while he was alone. 

But Jisung remembered that he had been training his entire life to fight. _Don’t let Donghae and Taeyong’s work go to waste_ , Jisung thought as he pulled out a knife of his own. Renjun’s eyes widened temporarily as he stopped moving. 

“So the baby rat knows how to hold a knife correctly. How cute.” Renjun said condescendingly, tilting his head up so he was looking down his nose at Jisung. It was quite the sight, considering how much shorter Renjun was compared to him. 

Jisung put his hands up to his chest, hoping that he could talk Renjun down, even just a little bit. “I just want to know you better. Your lifestyle, just everything about your people. If you’re looking for a fight, then know that I’m only going to defend myself. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Such a shame. I really want to hurt you.” Renjun put all his weight onto his back leg, a motion that Jisung recognized from hours of sparring with Jeno. 

Just before Renjun launched himself at Jisung, Jaemin and Jeno came running toward the pair. Renjun stood up straight when he saw Jaemin, his knife falling to his side. Jeno went immediately to Jisung’s side. “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t get here sooner. Are you okay, Jisungie? Did he do anything to you?” Jeno checked Jisung all over while Jaemin walked up to Renjun, who had shoved his switchblade back into wherever it came from. 

“What on earth is going on, Renjun? I thought you promised to stay out of trouble,” Jaemin didn’t give Renjun any time to explain himself before continuing. “I know you’re not stupid. I know that you can sense the aura that this one gives off. Even I can. You should know that it’s a bad idea to pick a fight, especially with someone like this.” 

“I don’t care. He’s still just a rat. Since when did you start sympathizing with them, Jaemin? You were right next to me when we ran into _him_ , so why don’t you feel the same way? Why were you even with this one?” Renjun gestured to Jeno, who quickly swept Jisung behind him as soon as Renjun’s eyes landed on the pair.

“That’s not for you to know, Renjun. I’m not obligated to tell you everything. Now stop treating them like shit. I know that not every one of them is like him, just like not all of us are the criminals that the outsiders are taught to think we are. Stop being so paranoid.” Jaemin said. 

Renjun’s scowl deepened into his face. Maybe he was born with it. “Paranoia is what saved us that day. If Taeil hadn’t been paranoid, then we would've lost more than just Major Admiral Hara that day. So no, I will not stop being so paranoid. I’m going. I’m done with this.” Renjun turned away from Jaemin, breaking into a sprint. Jaemin reached out to grab his arm but missed by a hair.

He turned to Jisung and Jeno, sighing. “I’m so sorry about this, Jisung. I’ll try to talk to him. He may not be happy with seeing you, but since we will be seeing you guys a lot more, he needs to at least get used to your presence. For now, until I give the okay, don’t split up again. I was able to stop him today, but next time, you might not get so lucky. So stick together while you’re here.” 

“Why _were_ you with Jeno?” Jisung asked. Jaemin shrugged. 

“I saw him and Chenle in the forest. Renjun had run off somewhere, so I figured I might as well say hi. Then Chenle ditched us for Donghyuck and Mark, so we were wandering until I felt Renjun’s fear.” Jaemin said. 

“Felt?” Jisung decided not to ask how Jaemin suddenly knew all their names because the answer was most likely Jeno had told him.

“Yeah. We’re linked emotionally to each other, so I’m able to feel what he’s feeling most of the time, and vice versa,” Jaemin explained. “Anyways, I felt him and dragged Jeno with me to where Renjun’s presence was and then we found you.”

“You should probably go after him.” Jeno nodded his head in the direction that Renjun had run off in. 

“I should. I’m going to. See you around. Please stay safe the next time you come up here.” Jaemin grabbed Jeno’s hand. 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Worry about Renjun instead.” Jeno said as he pulled his hand away. 

“Will he be okay?” Jisung asked. Renjun had been extremely scared the first time they met, and now he was just angry. Whatever his old mentor had done, it had completely ruined everyone outside of the mountains for Renjun. 

Jaemin nodded. “He’ll be okay. I’ll just talk to him and explain things from what Jeno told me. You don’t have to worry about it, Jisung. He won’t hurt you.” 

“That’s not what I’m worried about. I just want to know more about you guys, and if he hates me, then that’ll be hard to do..” Jisung confessed. It should’ve been Jaemin that he told in the first place. The taller of the two incrims seemed much more laid-back, much more willing to give Jisung the information that he wanted. “Maybe you could tell me?”

“I’m sure that in the future I’ll be able to tell you, but as of right now, you guys don’t completely have my trust either. If you’re worthy of it, I’ll tell you all you want to know. But I’ll go chase Renjun down and try to change his mind a little. He’s traumatized, but the very least I can do is get him to keep the knives away from you.”

“Thank you, Jaemin.” Jeno said, and Jaemin gave him one of the dazzling smiles that Jisung saw when he first met the incrim. 

“Of course. Now, go find the other three.” Jaemin waved the pair away before running off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Renjun might be acting weird, but I swear he's totally justified.  
> A quick update while we're in quarantine. Stay inside, stay healthy!


	5. secrets and blue eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeno is keeping secrets. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of OT7 Dream

“You know, Mark’s been acting kind of weird lately. Could it be that he’s not used to being sent out for recon?” Taeyong pointed out a few days later at the dinner table when Mark was eating out in town with his friends. 

“ _That dumbass. Can’t act for shit,_ ” Jeno mumbled under his breath. “He’s fine. He’s probably just having a few bad days. Give him a little time, he’ll pick himself back up like he always does.” He shrugged while shoving a spoonful of food into his mouth. 

“I mean, Taeyong’s right. He’s acting like he’s hiding something.” Kun added. 

“Maybe you should just leave him alone and give him space. It’s not like he’s obligated to tell us everything.” Jisung could tell that Donghyuck didn’t mean to say anything out loud by the way that he clapped a hand over his mouth as soon as the words were in the air. “Sorry, that was rude.”

“It wasn’t rude at all, Donghyuck. Perhaps a little more passionate than we expected, but I understand that you respect people’s privacy. We were just worried about Mark, that’s all.” Taeyong said. Donghyuck bowed his head sheepishly. 

“Yeah. I worry too. But I’m sure he’ll be fine.” He mumbled into his bowl. Jeno patted his brother’s head comfortingly. 

“Anyways, since Mark can take care of himself, let’s talk about you, Yuta and Jungwoo. I think this is the first time I’ve seen you two at a meal since the dream team went on their second mission. What the hell is going on in the infirmary?” Doyoung looked towards the two medics with curious eyes, causing them to squirm uncomfortably in their seats. 

“It’s nothing really. It’s just that Major General Irene’s unit had some new recruits that aren’t exactly used to having open wounds exposed to the air of the mountains. A lot of them got infections and some of them got sick, so we’ve been trying to take care of that.” Jungwoo replied, not making eye contact with anyone. Although it was incredibly suspicious, Jisung, alone with everyone else at the table, figured that the two would tell them the truth if they could. 

“Alright. But you guys can’t keep skipping meals like that.” Kun scolded them with a gentle and caring voice. 

“Don’t worry about it. Chenle’s been bringing us food whenever either of us has a break, so we’re definitely eating well.” Yuta cast a smile towards Chenle, who grinned happily back at the elder. 

“I’m happy to be able to help. Hey, Jeno, Donghyuck, your half-confinement hasn’t really been enforced, so how about tonight we go to the outer city? I want to take a look at something.” Chenle said to the twins. Donghyuck nodded excitedly, but Jeno shook his head.

“I would love to, but I have plans tonight with Yeeun. She’s looking for a gift to give to Elkie.” Jeno said. _Yeeun?_ Jisung thought he had heard something about her from Boa, but he couldn’t remember exactly what it was.

“Isn’t Elkie’s birthday in November? What’s the occasion?” Taeyong asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s their two year anniversary soon, and according to Yeeun, Elkie likes the gifts that I help pick out.” Jisung was then hit with the realization that Yeeun’s entire unit was deployed in the Estean region. _What is Jeno trying to do?_ Judging from Taeyong’s amused face, he knew the truth but was choosing not to say anything about Jeno’s blatant lie, so Jisung decided to stay quiet as well.

“Take Jisung with you.” Kun told Chenle. Jisung nodded in agreement. Kunhang had always been extremely good at sneaking out and therefore was never in the room before midnight, and even if Jisung liked time alone, he wanted to hang out with Chenle as much as he could before he couldn’t anymore. 

Unfortunately, Chenle shook his head and said something to Kun in the Ystellic dialect. Kun made a face of understanding while everyone else around the table except for Jeno and Donghyuck looked at the two, confused. “Sorry, Jisungie, you can’t come with us.” 

“Oh, okay.” Chenle had never rejected Jisung’s presence somewhere, so this was definitely a first that he did not like. But if Chenle didn’t want him there, then he didn’t have much of a choice. 

“Don’t worry, Jisung. You can hang out with me and Jungwoo until they get back.” Doyoung said. But Jisung really only wanted to be with his best friend. 

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine.” Jisung smiled at the elder, and Doyoung shrugged. 

“Well, the offer stands if you ever need it,” Jungwoo leaned back, bending backwards over the seat out of boredom. “Although it’ll just be Doyoung.”

“You have to stay all night again? I thought that you were switching shifts tomorrow.” Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. 

“I’m not staying after for work. Well, not infirmary work anyway.” Jungwoo clarified. Jisung thought it was interesting how Jungwoo tried so hard to stay quiet but was extremely obvious anyway. But since no one else was prying, Jisung figured that he shouldn’t either. After all, if Jungwoo wanted to tell them, then he would. He wasn’t the type to solve problems on his own. Jisung trusted him to ask for help if he needed it. 

***

Doyoung liked to spend time alone, especially at night. Jisung knew that the elder had offered to let him stay in his room out of pity, and he wasn’t about to burden Doyoung. So of course, Jisung was by himself in his room, hoping that Kunhang wouldn’t spend the entire night away again. But Kunhang had a life of his own, a new persona that came out at night when he stepped outside of the inner city gates. He wasn’t coming back any earlier than usual. And Jisung understood that he wanted to do his own thing. Kunhang was a social person, and who was Jisung to stop him from living his best life?

A small knock resonated on the wood of Jisung’s door as he stared out his room’s window. “Jisungie.” 

“Come in.” Jisung replied quietly, but loud enough for whoever it was to hear him. 

Jeno opened the door just enough for him to fit his head through. “Are you going to sleep?” Jeno asked, his bleach blonde hair sticking out like spikes towards the back like he had just been running his fingers through them. 

“Not anytime soon. Why?”

“Come with me. I want to show you something. Grab a sweater or something.” Jeno beckoned Jisung, and Jisung followed the elder’s finger without a second thought, thinking that he only needed a light jacket because it was naturally cooler in the hallways than in his room. 

Jisung didn’t question anything until Jeno led him outside of the military compound building. Although it had been sweltering on the mountain during the mission, anyone could tell that it was February from the practically freezing temperature. “Um, Jeno, where are we going?” Jeno’s eyes showed that he was in a world of his own until they landed on Jisung’s underdressed self, focusing and softening instantly. 

“I’m sorry. I should’ve told you to take something heavier,” Jeno peeled off his own coat and put it across Jisung’s shoulders. “We’re going to a place that you may or may not know about. There’s something, er, _someone_ there who I want you to see.” There was not a single person that Jisung wanted to see right now, but he kept his mouth shut and kept walking. 

They passed the training grounds, heading practically straight for the wall surrounding the inner city, and Jisung briefly wondered if there was some secret exit that Jeno was using to sneak out. But then Jeno led him into a clearing, where the moonlight shone on a head that had previously been white, but was now an orange. 

“W-What? How are you here? I thought that the warlocks of the past put a barrier around the mountains preventing your people from leaving?” Jisung sputtered. 

Jaemin hopped off of the rock that he was sitting on and strolled up to Jisung. “Well, you aren’t entirely wrong. They did put up the barrier. It was just weak as hell and our Creates got rid of it within the same month that it was put up. So it’s not impossible for us to leave. It’s not even a hard thing to accomplish. There are only two outposts on the mountains anyway. Sneaking past them is as easy as breathing. The DAMR is kind of shit at spreading information, so I know I can go anywhere without getting caught. Anyways--”

“How did you even get into this place?” Jisung interrupted Jaemin before he could talk any more. Even if Jaemin could actually get out of the mountains, he would either need to get a horse or to walk from there to Soln, both of which were nearly impossible. One, all horses in the Lokstinian region were domesticated and kept at outposts. Two, walking from the mountains to Soln would take a day at the least. An incrim out in broad daylight would be captured, even if most people didn’t know about the brand. 

Jaemin getting out of the mountains wasn’t Jisung’s biggest worry. Not only was there the wall around the entire city of Soln, there was the most secure wall in all of Vaela encasing the inner city. Not to mention the magical barrier around the inner city that stopped all entities without authorization from getting in. Jaemin couldn’t have gotten in by himself. Someone had to have let him in. Someone, who if they got caught, could get killed. And Jisung could easily tell who it was, judging from the way that Jeno’s face was filled with desperation for his silence. 

“I snuck him in. I trust you to not tell anyone about this, Jisungie. I know that you’re a good person, and I can more or less figure out why you want to know about the incrims. Jaemin is here to help you, so please keep your mouth shut.” Jeno didn’t usually beg, and even calling this begging was a stretch, but Jeno’s eyes showed nothing except for distress. 

“I got you, Jeno. I’m just worried. You know what could happen to you if anyone finds out about this. Inviting an incrim of all people-- no offense, Jaemin-- right to the DAMR’s front door? We can only protect you so much. General Boa may not have a problem with it, but what about the Council? They’re firm in the belief that all incrims are bad.” Jisung said.

Jaemin answered for Jeno, who had hung his head sheepishly. “I’m sure he can take care of himself. And if he ever does get in trouble, the dream team will be right there to help him, right?” _Jaemin knows about the dream team too?_ Jisung shot a look at Jeno, who only turned away, refusing to meet Jisung’s eyes. 

“I mean we can try,” Jisung peeled his gaze away from Jeno to look at Jaemin, “but there’s no guarantee that we can do anything. So please make this time we have worth it. Jeno said that he wanted me to see you and even dragged me out in the freezing cold for it, so unless there’s something important here, I should be getting back before I die of hypothermia.” Jisung didn’t mean to sound so rude, but that was how his words came out anyway. Luckily, Jaemin didn’t seem to be one to care about manners as a smile grew on his face. 

“Well, you told Renjun that you just wanted to know more about us, right? Jeno has more or less explained the reasons behind it, so I’m more than willing to help you decide whether we’re a plague to Vaela or not.” Jaemin said. 

“More or less?” Jisung couldn’t stop wondering about how much Jeno told him and what things Jisung could talk about and which things he couldn’t. “How much do you know?”

“I had some hunches, so I asked Jeno and he clarified. I know that you’re the so-called ‘savior’ of the world. The Klare Leu. Yeah, we’ve had some of our Creates and Ruins predict your coming. You’re fucking lucky that the Foralu don't let you out. We have orders to kill on sight.”

Jisung felt all the blood drain from his face. Kill on sight? “Jeno, is he lying? Can I really trust what he's saying?” Jaemin had to be lying. Maybe Jeno had just let him in on an impulse and he was just trying to mess with Jisung so that the dream team would leave him and Renjun alone. 

“He’s telling the truth, Jisung.” Jeno put a hand on Jisung’s shoulder. 

Jisung wouldn’t let this affect him. No. If this shook him, then he wasn’t fit to be the prophesied one that everyone was depending on. “Okay. I’m going to trust you both. But why is it on sight if you know nothing about me other than that I’m coming? And what's the ‘Foralu’?” Jisung struggled to remember the foreign sounding word that Jaemin had used.

“Ah, ‘Foralu’ is the polite term that we use to describe anyone who lives outside of the mountains. Most people call you ‘rats’ though. You may have realized that from how Renjun speaks.” Jaemin chuckled at the last part. _Interesting. He's thinking of Renjun even now._ “And the Room-- Jeno says that’s our equivalent of your Council-- they somehow deluded themselves into thinking that you’re just like the rest of the Foralu. Someone who hates us unconditionally and will kill us as soon as you get the chance. So they want to get rid of you before you can do that to us.” Jaemin replied. 

“I don’t have the power to do that.”

“They don’t know that. And even if you don’t have it now, you’re likely to get it some time in your life. You haven’t matured fully, so neither has the power that the Klare Leu is supposed to have. Give it a few more years and you’ll probably be able to destroy the mountains by snapping.” Jisung genuinely hoped that Jaemin was joking. Destroying the mountains just like that would be extremely useless, especially if he found out that the incrims really weren’t something that needed to vanish. They were all people, just like the rest of Vaela. 

“Okay. So you know that I’m the Klare Leu and you have orders to kill on sight. What else has Jeno told you?” Jisung said after a deep breath, and Jaemin’s smile looked like he was approving something. 

“He told me about the dream team. About your general and your brother. About his brothers. About how we’re seen outside of the mountains and how much the Foralu know about us. What daily life is like for you guys. About your old bastard of a mentor and how Renjun isn’t the only one who was affected by him. About how your ranks work and the different responsibilities. We figured out which incrim ranks were equivalent to yours, and other than that, we just talked.” Jaemin replied. 

Jeno seemed to read Jisung’s mind when he cut in with “I didn’t tell him any sensitive information”, which brought some sort of relief to Jisung. Letting an incrim into the inner city was bad enough. Telling him confidential information would end things much worse than death. 

“No one else knows about Jaemin? Not even Donghyuck?” Jisung asked, to which Jeno shook his head. 

“I could never find the right time to tell him. I don’t know if he’d be understanding either. I don't think he likes Jaemin very much. Not after the first time we ran into each other and all the unnecessary, uh, skinship.” Jeno raised a mocking eyebrow in Jaemin’s direction. _What skinship?_ Maybe Jisung just hadn't been able to see it. Donghyuck had blocked him from seeing everything clearly. 

“I already said I was sorry for that! How many times do you want me to apologize?” Jaemin whined but it was still quiet enough that no one outside of the clearing would hear it. “I didn’t even hurt you.”

“Yeah, but it made me uncomfortable. That’s all that matters to Hyuck,” Jeno shrugged. “You don’t have to worry too much about it though. If anything, apologize to Donghyuck and he won’t care anymore. He’ll be wary, but who wouldn’t be?” Even in the dark, Jisung could see Jeno’s eyes float to the brand on Jaemin’s neck. Jaemin clapped a hand over it as if he didn’t want it to exist. 

“Yeah,” Jaemin mumbled. “Everyone would be scared of me.”

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything bad by it. I’m sure he knows that you’re not a bad person.” Jeno took his hand off of Jisung’s shoulder and stepped forward to Jaemin, arms out as he tried to console the orange-haired boy. Jaemin mumbled something, his eyes looking away nervously, but he let himself fall into Jeno’s chest.

“How close did you guys get over the past week anyway?” Jisung was glad his voice didn’t come as biting as it did before, and this time his tone was much more playful, the way he always talked with Jeno unless it involved pranking Doyoung. 

“Well, I’m pretty sure the only sleep Jeno gets is during the day because we’re up all night.” Jaemin pushed Jeno to face Jisung and then wrapped his arms around his neck in a loose hug. 

“That’s great. Jeno has actual friends besides the dream team.” Jisung teased Jeno, and he was fairly certain that Jeno’s face turned red. 

“Ya! I have other friends!” Jeno tried reaching out to hit Jisung, but Jaemin’s hold kept him from moving too much. Jisung easily dodged the weak slap that was coming his way, sticking out his tongue at the elder. 

“Like who?” Jisung laughed. “Don’t tell me Kunhang, because he is still an honorary member of the dream team, even if he never hangs out with us.” Jisung remembered the time around seven years ago when they had first met Kunhang and Mark claimed that he would be an unofficial member of the dream team until they finished his initiation ritual. They never did because Taeyong had stopped them before Kunhang could jump off of the inner city wall and land on the specified tree. So although Kunhang had almost become a member of the dream team, he still was unofficial even after all this time. 

“Not Kunhang! Others! Like Yeeun, Hyunggu, and Lee Chan…” Jeno tried to defend himself. 

“Okay. Maybe you do.” Jisung shrugged at Jeno, and Jaemin laughed at the two, pulling himself away from Jeno with such a large grin on his face that Jisung could see it even through the darkness. Jaemin really was stunning, with his cheeky smile that practically reached his ears, a perfect v-jawline that could probably slice Jisung’s hand off, thin pink lips that perfectly complimented his fluffy orange hair, tall nose, and light blue eyes--wait, those weren’t there last time Jisung saw him-- that were filled with curiosity and excitement. The shirt that he wore was the tightest thing that Jisung had ever seen, and it accented the sculpted abs on his torso. Just by an estimate, his biceps were probably the same size as Jeno’s. If Jeno had a crush on Jaemin, Jisung definitely wouldn’t blame him. 

“Well, I don’t know if Jeno doesn’t have any friends outside of the dream team and me,” This earned a pout from Jeno, which Jaemin just laughed at. “but you want me to talk about the incrims, right?” 

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, I got a bit side-tracked.” Jisung apologized, and Jaemin just kept the grin on his face. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Jaemin replied. 

“Wait, can we sit down first? I don’t want to be standing up while Jaemin talks about himself, cause that’s going to take forever.” Jeno yelped in surprise as Jaemin smacked him, sighing. 

“You’re the one who asked to hear about me first, so if you could please silence yourself, I’m trying to do dear Jisung a favor here,” Jaemin said. Jeno plopped to the ground with a huff. Jaemin placed himself down more gingerly than the former, and Jisung decided to sit down as well. “Well, you’re free to ask me any questions you want, because I’m not good at broad topics. Just narrow it down a little and I’ll answer everything I deem fit to answer to the best of my ability.”

Jisung tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Okay… I'll start simple. Why are your eyes blue now, even though they weren't both times I saw you on the mountains?”

“Oh, these.” Jaemin’s hand subconsciously reached up to his eyes. “It's cause all of my people, when it becomes night, our eyes turn blue. It supposedly amplifies all light and with it, we can see in the dark.” Jaemin explained.

“So night vision?” Jaemin nodded. “That's actually really cool. Also, you changed your hair recently?” Jisung knew he had to dive deeper. He was well aware of it. But he didn't want to know what kind of trauma these incrims had gone through because of the DAMR.

“Oh, a friend of mine dyed it for me. Said it was bad for my hair to be bleached constantly, and this was a good recovery color. But, Jisung.” Jaemin's voice instantly turned cold and unfeeling. It sent shivers down Jisung’s spine. “Don't fool around. You aren't here to ask about my hair choice.”

“Hey, Jaem. That's a little harsh, isn't it?” Jeno said as Jisung looked straight into Jaemin's eyes and felt as if they could do more than see in the dark. They were probing around in the deepest recesses of Jisung's soul. It could make someone go mad, having your privacy invaded as your innermost thoughts were read like they were being spoken out loud. And it may have been a trick of the light, but Jisung thought he saw Jaemin’s eyes change color for a few seconds.

“What did my old mentor do that traumatized you guys so much?” Jisung blurted out the first question that came to mind. Knowing Renjun’s reasons as to why he acted the way he did was the best place to start. It could help Jisung see more into his mind. 

“Oh, that,” Jaemin cleared his throat, his demeanor completely switching back to that of a normal boy and not someone who had just seen all of Jisung's thoughts from the past eighteen years. “It was a while ago, I’d say it’s been maybe six years? According to Jeno, it was after he got exiled, and he came to the mountains. He might have been seeking revenge against you or acceptance back into the DAMR, we don’t know. But he was armed and dangerous. Renjun and I, along with another friend of ours named Yangyang, we went outside of Mirit, the hole in the mountains where we live, with a recon team for the first time that day with our supervisor, Hara, and our older friends-- Taeil, Ten, Johnny, Jaehyun, Sicheng, Xiaojun, and Yukhei. We ran into him. 

“I won’t go into details because even I still hate thinking about it, but in the end, we weren’t ready for him. He slaughtered Hara and mutilated her in front of us, despite our best efforts to stop him. Taeil tried to send us away, but while we were trying to escape, Taeil was caught by him and nearly died. Johnny and Ten went back for him and that left me, Renjun, Yangyang, Yukhei, Xiaojun, Jaehyun, and Sicheng. Jaehyun and Sicheng sent Xiaojun, Yukhei, and Yangyang to run back to Mirit to get backup and then they went to go help Johnny and Ten. In the chaos, me and Renjun were left on our own. So what did we do? Of course we went in his direction to see if we could help.

“Renjun has a photographic memory. He never forgets anything. He still vividly remembers what Hara, Taeil, Johnny, Ten, Jaehyun, and Sicheng looked like. He still has nightmares over it. We got help. We killed him. But Renjun will never forget, and that’s why he hates the DAMR so much. Because he thinks that every single Foralu is exactly like that man,” Jaemin finished. “It doesn’t help that he’s always had trust issues.” 

Jisung took a moment to process all that Jaemin had just told him. Shindong did all that? Disrespected a human life like that? All because he had been exiled? _Perhaps I shouldn’t have spoken up._ If Jisung hadn’t said anything about his treatment back then, would he have been able to save Jaemin and Renjun and their squad from that torture?

“Don’t you dare think that, Jisung. I know what you’re thinking. If you had stayed quiet, then you would’ve been the one suffering. And you forget that his abuse isn’t the only thing he was found guilty of. He was stealing DAMR secrets and selling them to the highest bidder. We had to get rid of him anyway. Of course, I’m sorry for you, Jaemin, but Jisung, your health comes first.” Jeno stopped Jisung from thinking anymore with his abrupt words. 

“I-I’m sorry for you, Jaemin. I didn’t know. If I did, I wouldn’t have pushed Renjun that day…” Jisung said. 

“It’s okay, Jisung. But yes, that’s what happened. He hates all the Foralu he sees with a passion, but luckily, he’s held back from killing anyone. He doesn’t want to become like your old mentor.” Jaemin stated. 

“You mentioned Johnny before, right? You said something about how Renjun didn’t trust him at first, and how we could be like him, right? That implies he’s not originally… y’know, an incrim.” Jisung remembered their first contact with Renjun and Jaemin and how Jaemin mentioned him. 

Jaemin nodded. “You’ve heard of Squadron 95, I assume. Well, Johnny’s real name is Seo Youngho, the soldier whose body was never found. Ten was leading a group of soldiers when they found Squadron 95, and former Create Jungah told them to kill them all. Well, they couldn’t really deny orders from one of the most powerful magics we’ve ever had, so that’s what Ten did. But then they saw Johnny, and I think Ten might have been crushing too hard to kill him. So Johnny came back with them. Create Jungah hrew a fit, but eventually, Johnny became like the rest of us. He even made his way to Major Admiral. If you didn’t know what he looked like before the Squadron 95 incident happened, then you would probably think that he’s a native born incrim. Ten even gave him the sun.” Jaemin said as he pointed to the brand on his neck. 

“Wait, you didn’t mention his name before.” Jeno pointed out. His widened eyes were visible in the moonlight that was continuously getting brighter, as if it was emitting its own light instead of reflecting the sun’s. At this point, Jisung could practically see every detail on Jeno and Jaemin’s faces, and he could easily see the smirk on Jaemin’s.

“Well, you didn’t ask about it,” Jaemin shrugged. “Why so surprised? The name mean anything to you?”

“Seo Youngho is Mark’s cousin,” Jeno confessed simply.

“What? Really?” Jisung and Jaemin asked in unison, both of their voices filled with disbelief. 

“Yeah. He doesn’t like to talk about it. Apparently, Youngho was Mark’s only family before he disappeared. Jisung, I don’t know if you remember it, but he used to be fine with being called Minhyung. He started hating it after Youngho disappeared because that was the name that Youngho called him. Because it reminded him of his cousin that he would never see again, and he didn’t even know if his only family was alive or dead.” Jeno confessed. 

“I didn’t know that. Johnny never mentioned any family back at the DAMR. I’m sure Ten would’ve been too guilty to keep him if he had known.” Jaemin looked away sheepishly, fidgeting with his shirt. 

“They were close, I’m guessing. Close enough for Mark to stop going by Minhyung just because Youngho-- or should I call him Johnny now?-- disappeared.” Jisung pointed out. 

“They grew up practically like brothers. Like me and Donghyuck, except even closer because they actually had no family. I had Donghae at least and my dad for a little bit, but all of their relatives were either dead, in the Rislic region, or didn’t give a shit about them.” Jeno said. 

“Did Mark tell you about this?” Jaemin asked, and Jeno nodded. “Why don’t you know, then, Jisung?” 

“I guess he didn’t trust me with knowing.” Jisung wasn’t going to lie. He did feel a little betrayed that Mark told Jeno all this and not him, but it was understandable. Mark hated burdening other people with his problems, but Jeno always had that sort of aura that just invited people to tell him anything. 

“Oh.” Jaemin said dumbfoundedly, not knowing what to say. Jisung felt a small smile creep onto his face. Jaemin was a good person, Jisung assumed. He didn’t pry too much, he wasn’t extremely closed-off or aggressive like Renjun-- although Renjun had every reason to be the way he was, Jisung figured-- and he didn’t try to say unnecessary things.

“It’s whatever. Now that we’re done talking about Johnny and that fat twat, do you mind if I ask about the rest of your friends? The ones that you mentioned?” Jisung tried to be cautious, just in case Jaemin didn’t trust him enough to talk about his beloved comrades. 

“My friends? Ah, them,” Jaemin seemed confused for a split second before realizing who Jisung was asking about. “Well, most people call our squad New, because we apparently have the freshest way of thinking in Mirit. I’m taking that directly from our admiral, by the way. Anyhow, there’s Taeil, our doctor whose magic actually rivals that of Create Sojung. He's the oldest of us, and he's always willing to help out with anything we need so long as he doesn't get in trouble. If we ever need someone to talk to, he's the one we go to. There’s Johnny, who blends in perfectly with the rest of us except for his freakish height. Other than Taeil, he takes care of us the most, and he's just fun to be around. There’s Ten, whose real name is too hard for anyone to pronounce. He’s a Ruin, which is basically your Apprentices. He always helps us play pranks on people, and he’s really good at lying. He's also loved by all the children because of how well he tells stories. There’s Jaehyun. He’s deaf, but he reads lips so well it’s like he can actually hear us. He's on the quieter side, always paying attention to other people. He picks up on body language really easily, so it's hard to keep secrets from him. He’s also really fucking strong. I’m pretty sure that his bicep is the size of my neck.” Jisung blanched at that revelation. He sounded even more muscular than Bang Chan, and could probably easily crush Jisung's skull if he wanted to. 

“Sicheng and Xiaojun are half-brothers, both fluent in the Ystellic dialect even though neither of them have ever been there. They’re both medics and also magics. Sicheng is kind of like Jaehyun. Quiet, observative, mature. He's kind of a cinnamon roll, and everyone loves him. Xiaojun’s real name is Dejun, but it’s kind of awkward to call him that, so he smashed his mom’s maiden name together with his real name. He's a huge fan of romance, or of books in general. He likes to learn stuff too, always taking stuff from the library and stalking our scientists. Yukhei is a big guy, very strong even though he looks skinny. He’s very cheerful though, so not much to be worried about there. He's loud, but we all know that he means nothing but the best. Yangyang is a Ruin who specializes in invisibility magic. He could be terrifying, but he uses his power to prank everyone in Mirit instead of doing any actual damage. There’s actually a chance that he’s been on the mountain with us every time that we go out, but who really knows?” Jaemin shrugged. 

“And of course, there's Renjun. You might’ve gotten a bad impression of him, considering the only interactions you've had with him include him about to kill you. But he’s just a little cautious, still scared of you Foralu. Once you get past that, he's actually a very loving person. He shows it in a bit of a violent way, but he makes sure that we know that he's joking. If you were watching us from the outside, you would think that he hates us, but he has the most love to give put of everyone I know. He doesn't get out a lot because he has a condition that causes him to cry blood, but he really does love nature. He's a hell of a good artist too.

“Well, that’s all of us. Of course, there are some other people that we hang out with, but that’s my main friend group. Anything specific you want to know about them?” Jaemin asked. His eyes had seemed to brighten as he talked more about his friends. It was really endearing. 

Jisung pondered silently for a moment, trying to take in all the information that Jaemin had just given him before answering. “What do they look like?” Jaemin seemed a little confused at this question. “Just in case I see them on the mountains or anywhere else.”

“Oh, well, I can describe their hair and heights, I guess, but the hair might be different. Ten dyes it a lot for us. Taeil is a few inches shorter than me, five-eight or seven, very well-proportioned. He has a brown undercut. Johnny is very tall. Six-two. Lot of muscles. He has black hair, the bangs are past his eyes I think. Jaehyun is five-eleven, I think, and also very muscular. He doesn't make a big deal of it. He has blond hair, it's kind of wavy. Sicheng is five-ten, pretty slim. He has strawberry blond hair and fairy ears. Yukhei is also pretty tall, six feet even, very lanky. All limbs. He's got light brown hair and looks like he's God’s most perfect creation. Xiaojun is five-eight, dark brown hair, and his eyebrows were sculpted by the heavens themselves. Yangyang has brown hair, and he's, eh, maybe five-nine? We haven't measured him before. And you obviously know what Renjun looks like.” Jisung nodded. “Anything else?”

“Do you think that they’re bad people?” Jisung bit his lip. It was a little risky, a question like this, but Jisung trusted that Jaemin wouldn’t get as mad at him as Renjun would. 

“Absolutely not. I would never think that. Not only because they’re my friends, but because they’re genuinely good people, just born in the wrong place.” Jaemin insisted without skipping a beat. 

“Is there anyone that you think is a bad person?” Jisung asked. 

“Everyone has a reason for why they do things. Other than the old farts, I don’t think any of us is actually a bad person. We all just want to live a regular life, outside of the mountains.” Jaemin replied. And Jisung understood to a certain extent what it felt like to feel like a prisoner. He had never been actually kept captive within the inner city, but when he was younger, he wasn’t allowed to leave at all. Even now, the farthest he was allowed to go without supervision was the outer city. Jisung understood why the incrims acted the way they did. 

“One last question?” Jaemin raised a questioning eyebrow. “Do you want me to call you guys something other than ‘incrim’?” 

“How about you call us Monteo? That’s what we call ourselves. A shortened version of ‘mountain people’.” Jaemin suggested with a smile. 

“Okay. You are no longer an incrim to me, Jaemin. I may refer to you as ‘Monteo’, but I’ve never been so sure that you are just like the rest of us.” Jisung concluded, earning the widest smile he had ever seen from both Jaemin and Jeno. Jisung's eyes wandered towards the ground, where he saw that Jeno’s and Jaemin’s hands had somehow become intertwined, and he let his mind briefly wonder if there was anything between them. But he quickly pushed that thought away, figuring that it wasn’t his place to know. 

Jisung didn’t know how Jaemin left that night. He didn’t even know if Jaemin did leave. But he did know that the DAMR was full of bullshit when they told him and so many others that the Monteo were monsters. 

***

“Hey, wake up,” Jisung was torn unceremoniously from his sleep by someone jumping onto his bed. “You missed breakfast.” Jisung blinked his eyes a few times before he focused on the twins in front of him, Donghyuck on the bed and Jeno standing calmly nearby. 

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t have anything to do today.” Jisung flopped back down and covered himself in the blanket, holding it down when Donghyuck tried to pull it off of him. 

“You do, actually. Today’s the 19th, stupid,” Donghyuck said as-a-matter-of-factly. Jisung groaned as Donghyuck gave a final tug at the blanket that pulled it off of him. “You should know what today is. It’s someone’s birthday.” 

Jisung let loose a stream of gibberish as he tried to remember. It wasn’t Doyoung’s birthday. It wasn’t his birthday. Hansol and Seokmin had theirs yesterday. It wasn’t Jeongin’s. It wasn’t Jungeun’s. Wasn’t Seulgi’s or Wendy’s. “Oh, fuck!” Jisung shot up, almost launching Donghyuck off of the bed. “Jungwoo!” 

“You actually remembered, congrats.” Jeno said sarcastically. 

“We’re celebrating tonight, so we have until dinner to finish getting everything ready. Doyoung, Kunhang, and Mark have already started preparing, the rest are stuck working, and we’re left to get gifts for him, so eat and get dressed. We’re going out,” Donghyuck commanded. “But we’re stopping by the residential area first. I have to get money back from Felix, then we go.”

“The residential area?” Jisung didn’t miss how Jeno’s face paled at Donghyuck’s words. 

“Yes sir. It’ll be quick though, so the faster we get going, the faster we’ll be done.” Donghyuck confirmed, and then turned around without waiting for neither Jisung nor Jeno. 

They were at the front lobby when Jisung got closer to Jeno, sidling up to the elder’s side. “What’s wrong with the residential area?” He whispered, and Jeno let out a silent sigh. 

“Jaemin’s hiding in there.” 

Jisung’s heart stopped when Donghyuck whipped his head around, having clearly heard what Jeno said, as quiet as it was. “ _Jaemin?_ ”

“Ah, shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's my birthday so I'm gonna post this! I'm getting these done a lot quicker than I expected. Just prepare for me to slow down later tho  
> Be safe, stay healthy, have a nice day, and thank you for reading!


	6. betrayal and answers

“Lee Jeno, you better tell me the truth right now, because I will rain hell on you if you lie to me again.” Jeno had never seen Donghyuck look this angry, not even when Jaemin’s face was practically touching his own. And he had never been so incredibly terrified for his life. Jeno, who never had any reason to be scared, was being threatened by his own best friend. 

“I swear I have an explanation.” Jeno backed up, holding his hands out in front of him to shield himself from the fury of the sun. 

“Well, I’m listening. It better be good.” Donghyuck fully turned around to face Jeno, foot tapping impatiently as his eyebrows creased in anger. Then more quietly, Donghyuck mumbled to himself. “God, first Chenle, then you.” Jeno decided that this was not the time to ask what Chenle did.

“During our second recon mission, I met Jaemin again.” Donghyuck’s face took on a scowl that only Renjun could do when he heard the name of the Monteo boy. “We talked there, and then before we left the mountains, we arranged something that let us see each other. Eventually, that led to me bringing him here. But--”

Donghyuck cut Jeno off from explaining. “Did you now? And who did you tell about this? Jisung, you knew that Jaemin was here, right? You didn’t think to tell any of us? I thought that we all told each other everything.” It didn’t take much for Donghyuck’s mask to crumble away like ashes, and once it did, Jeno could easily see the hurt that was consuming Donghyuck. 

“Jisung didn’t know about Jaemin being here until last night, so don’t drag him into this. I’m the one to blame here, no one else, so if you’re going to be mad, then be mad at me.” Jeno said, taking a step towards his twin, his fear from earlier having disappeared along with Donghyuck’s fake rage. Behind him, Jisung was trying extremely hard to hide it, but Jeno could see the slight tremors that went through the younger’s body. He really should’ve said it quieter and when Donghyuck was farther away. 

“I am mad!” Donghyuck snapped, bringing Jeno’s attention back to his twin. God, Jeno was so lucky that no one was around to hear. “I’m mad that you thought you couldn’t tell me! How long have you chosen to hide this from me? I thought you trusted me! I trusted you with everything! I care about you, Jeno! Do you know how much trouble you could get in for hiding an _incrim_? I don’t care that you did sneak him in, I care that you did something that could get you killed and didn’t even tell me about it! Do I really mean that little to you?” Crocodile tears began to roll down Donghyuck’s cheeks, and Jeno began to feel his heartstrings snapping at the sight as his voice disappeared. 

“Should we leave the shopping for later?” Jisung asked timidly after a few moments passed. When Donghyuck didn’t move or say anything, Jeno answered, turning around to smile at Jisung, who looked wildly uncomfortable.

“Yeah. After lunch, we’ll go.” Jisung nodded and began to quickly walk away from the twins, throwing one look over his shoulders before going into a half-jog. Jeno turned back around to Donghyuck, who had mildly composed himself, wiping at the tears that collected in his eyes. 

“Hyuck, do you want to go somewhere more private?” They were standing in the middle of the front lobby and were completely exposed to anyone who was just walking by. 

Donghyuck shook his head and sniffled, using his jacket sleeve to dry the rest of his tears. “No. Take me to see Jaemin. You both need to explain what you’ve been doing behind my back.” Jeno couldn’t refuse Donghyuck, so he just nodded and walked past his twin. From behind him, Jeno could hear a hushed ‘I trusted you’, and he realized why he had never kept secrets from Donghyuck before. 

***

“You have the keys to Seungyeon’s squad’s house?” Donghyuck asked as Jeno put the key into the door and unlocked it. He seemed much less angry and hurt than before, but Jeno wasn’t sure how long that would last once he saw Jaemin, who, unless he left during the night or this morning, was hiding in a space that Yeeun had let him use. 

“Yeah. Only for a little bit. Yeeun wanted me to keep watch over it while they’re out.” It wasn’t until Jeno saw Donghyuck’s confused face that he realized that Donghyuck didn’t know that the girls were going on a mission. 

“So when you said you were helping Yeeun pick out a gift for Elkie, that was just a lie so you could see Jaemin,” It should’ve been a question, but Donghyuck definitely already knew the answer. Jeno nodded to confirm, and Donghyuck sighed. “Amazing, Jeno. You’ve really outdone yourself this time.” Jeno tried his best not to flinch at the spite in his twin’s voice-- well, he didn’t think he was authorized to call Donghyuck that anymore after what he did. “The fact that you told Jisung and not me. Amazing.” Jeno knew that Donghyuck knew exactly what he was doing, and honestly, Jeno might’ve done the same if the positions had been reversed.

Jeno finally pushed open the door after taking a deep breath. “Jaemin! We have a visitor!” Jeno loved how excited Jaemin looked as he rounded the corner, a grin spread across his face like a puppy. But he hated the instant drop in Jaemin’s face and mood as soon as he saw who the visitor was. The excitement was quickly replaced with fear and confusion. 

“Jeno? What’s this?” Jaemin asked, his body shrinking as his gaze shot from Donghyuck back to Jeno repeatedly. Oh, Jeno really hated this. 

“Um, he overheard me telling Jisung that you were hiding here and made me take him to you.” Jeno told Jaemin. 

Jaemin deflated even more than Jeno thought was possible as his frightened gaze took on a more pathetic look. “Oh. I see.”

“I need an explanation from both of you and since we still have to go to the outer city to shop for Jungwoo's birthday, I don’t have all day. So you better get talking, because I’m not moving from this couch until you two justify your actions.” Donghyuck walked past Jeno and Jaemin to the living room and set himself down on the sofa, nestling himself in between the loads of throw pillows that were stacked up there. 

Jeno gestured Jaemin to the living room with a shake of his head, and after a hesitant look from the Monteo, they both followed Donghyuck and took seats across from the promiser. Even after they sat down, they kept each other’s eyes, neither knowing what to say. Jeno hoped that Donghyuck wouldn’t overreact. He would understand like he always did. But the problem was that Jeno didn’t know where to start. 

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Donghyuck sighed. “I’m guessing that neither of you know how to explain this whole thing, so I’ll make it easier for you. Let me get this one thing straight, Jaemin. I don’t hate you. I have a slight dislike for you after that little stunt you pulled the first time I met you, but I don’t hate you. I’m not mad that you’re here, I’m mad at the fact that I didn’t know about something that could get Jeno killed. I overreacted earlier, Jeno, I understand that, and I’m sorry about it. But right now, I’d like to know _why_ you decided to bring him here.” Donghyuck said as he leaned forward, resting his head on his hand. 

_That’s a good enough starting point,_ Jeno thought, finally breaking eye contact with Jaemin to face Donghyuck. “I guess the main reason was for Jisung,” Donghyuck cocked an eyebrow up incredulously. “He said that he wanted to know whether the Monteo were part of the impurities that he was supposed to get rid of. I talked about it with Jaemin, and he was a lot more willing than Renjun to tell Jisung whatever he wanted to know. So, I brought him here, and last night was for him to meet with Jisung and give him some information.”

Donghyuck took a moment to process Jeno’s words, and when it finally seemed to click with him, he sighed again. “That’s it? You risked your life to do that?” Donghyuck’s eyes flitted over to Jaemin with a disbelieving look. Jaemin looked away, uncomfortable under the promiser’s gaze. “You could’ve just as easily asked Major General Junmyeon to take you on another mission. They would’ve let you.” 

Jeno grimaced sheepishly, and Donghyuck’s eyebrow went up again. He had thought about that option for a little bit, but Jaemin wanted to come and see how they lived, and he had done those stupid puppy eyes of his, leaving Jeno no choice in the matter. And, to be honest, he had wanted Jaemin to come back with him too. In hindsight, it was a bad idea, but they had fun while it lasted. 

Donghyuck let out his millionth sigh of the day and hit his head with the heel of his palm. “Oh my god, you two are so stupid. You didn’t think about the risk?” Jeno and Jaemin’s silence was enough to answer. “Jeno, you’re so fucking lucky that it was me who caught you talking about it and not someone else. Imagine the trouble you would get into if it had been Taeyong.” Donghyuck didn’t need to remind him about Taeyong. Jeno knew already. The fact that he was even talking to Jaemin was bad enough for him to be imprisoned, but sneaking him in and sharing information with him put Jeno at risk for something that would make him wish he was dead. Not to mention what the DAMR would do to Jaemin if he was ever found.

“I know. I wasn’t thinking.” Jeno said. If he stayed quiet any longer, Donghyuck might actually get mad. He had always seen silence as ignorance, as a sign that the other person didn’t care. 

“Damn right, you weren’t thinking. Jaemin, were you not either?” Jaemin flinched at being addressed by a very pissed magic. He shot Jeno a frantic look that pleaded for help. Jeno replied by sending back a smile that left the Monteo to fend for himself, earning an offended glare. 

“N-Not really.” Seeing the contrast between Jaemin now and the Jaemin that they had first met almost gave Jeno whiplash. The Jaemin from the mountains had been confident in himself to the point of brushing his lips against Jeno’s own. Yet the Jaemin in front of him was stuttering and red, even though Donghyuck had shown no signs of hostility towards him.

“You both are so incredibly stupid, dear lord,” Donghyuck mumbled. “You know what? Stay here for a little bit, both of you. I’m going to make someone take Jisung out shopping, and then I’m coming back. Jisung isn’t the only one who wants to know everything about your people, Jaemin.” Donghyuck pushed aside the cushions and stood up, walking towards the door. 

“You’re not allowed to run away.” Donghyuck tossed a bright smile over his shoulder before pushing the door open and leaving. 

Jeno and Jaemin sat in silence for a few moments after Donghyuck’s exit. 

“At least you’ll get to talk about yourself more.” 

Jeno’s head was immediately hit with a pillow, and he fell off the chair dramatically, laughing. Jaemin appeared over him, panic visible on his face. “Don’t joke about this, Jeno! I’m terrified of him! You would be scared if Renjun was interrogating you, right?” Jaemin reached out a hand to help Jeno up. 

“Oh, yeah, for sure. But he’s not, so I get to make fun of you for now.” Jeno said as he took Jaemin’s hand. The Monteo pulled him up with ease, and Jeno didn’t miss the chance to stare at the other’s flexing biceps. _Still smaller than mine… But a lot more attract_ \-- 

Jeno cut that train of thought off as quickly as he could. It was not the time to be freaking out over Jaemin’s charms. He looked even better at night anyway. 

“You’re such a loser. This is your fault, you know that? Why’d you have to let someone hear you?” Jaemin whined. Jeno straightened out his clothes and pouted at Jaemin, sticking his bottom lip out for extra effect. 

“I didn’t mean to! I was just concerned because Hyuck was planning to come to the house right across from this place to get money from someone and then I guess my face changed so Jisung asked what was wrong and I told him that you were here and then Hyuck heard and it kind of all went to hell from there.” Jeno explained, taking a deep breath afterwards from the long sentence. He took a seat back on the chair from earlier, but Jaemin didn’t sit back down. 

He stood in front of Jeno, a smile growing on his face as amusement replaced the nervousness from before. “You’re a lot more dumb than I thought you were when I first met you. You were stepping up for Mark so he didn’t get killed, and it’s not like you were panicking back then, even with Renjun about to slice your head off. Where’s that Jeno? I kind of miss him.” 

“That’s rude. Back then, I was just worried about the others. Even now, Jisung didn’t get in trouble, so it doesn’t matter to me.” Jeno shrugged.

“I got in trouble. Don’t you care about me?” Jaemin trapped Jeno in the chair by putting an arm on both armrests of the chair and leaned forward, closing the gap between their faces to less than two inches. Jeno turned his head away out of awkwardness. He really hoped that Jaemin didn’t notice how red his entire face and his ears were getting. 

Jeno reached his hand up to pat Jaemin’s head, disturbing the fluffy orange hair. “I do.” Jaemin closed his eyes and purred under the contact, a sign that Jeno had given him an answer he was very happy with. 

***

Jisung didn’t know how long Donghyuck was going to take lecturing Jeno and Jaemin, so instead of going back to his room, he went to the conference room that they were going to use tonight for Jungwoo’s birthday celebration. Doyoung and Mark were in the corner of the room, Mark on a chair hanging up streamers and Doyoung holding up pieces of tape for Mark to use. Kunhang, who was putting colorful tablecloths over the tables, was the first to notice Jisung coming in, and he smiled warmly. 

“Hey, Jisungie. I thought the twins were taking you out shopping with them.” Kunhang said, and Jisung shook his head. 

Mark turned around from pinning streamers up on the walls of the room, shaking his arms out. “Did they just leave you here and go by themselves?” Doyoung tapped Mark’s leg so that the younger would get back to work, and Mark quickly took the hint. 

“They’re in the residential area getting money from Felix. They said they’ll be back soon.” Jisung lied. Hopefully, they actually did get back soon, because Jisung sucked at giving gifts. Jeno always was the best at that. “Is there anything I can help you guys with?”

“I think we’re good?” Mark mumbled as he stood on his tippy toes to reach the exact corner of the room. Doyoung chuckled. 

“Maybe you could help Mark put up the streamers? He seems to be struggling a little bit.” Doyoung said, and Mark turned down to give the lieutenant a dirty look, which just caused Doyoung’s smile to widen even more. 

“Do you want me to help?” Jisung asked cautiously, not wanting to piss Mark off by rubbing in his height. 

Mark sighed and put the streamer roll down. “Yeah, that’d be great.” He reluctantly said, getting off the chair as Jisung walked over and climbed on. “What’re you gonna do, Doyoung?”

Doyoung pulled out a chair and kicked his feet up onto the table, smiling, his bunny teeth on full display. “I’m gonna chill until Jisungie has to go. Then I guess I’ll help you put up any streamers he doesn’t get.” 

“Oh, no you’re not.” Kunhang pushed Doyoung’s feet off, and the elder stuck his tongue out. “You’re going to go to Kyulkyung’s bakery and pick up the food. Tell her my name; she’ll understand. Probably bring a wagon, there’s going to be a lot. Don’t you dare drop anything on the way back. Go. Shoo.” Kunhang waved bye to Doyoung, gesturing to the door with his other hand. 

Doyoung pouted as Mark handed Jisung the streamer roll, but a deadpan and a quick shake of the head from Kunhang immediately made Doyoung get up, an awkward, forced smile on his face. “Okay, bye!” Doyoung pulled the door open and left without looking back, knowing far too well to not disobey Kunhang when it came to birthday celebrations. 

“Great. So Doyoung’s getting the cake and other food from Kyulkyung, and as soon as Jisung finishes putting the streamers up, all we have to do is put the balloons up and steal some plates from the kitchen. Yuta said he’d be coming in five minutes-ish, and Kun is getting off at nine-thirty, so a good fifteen minutes,” Kunhang spoke to himself but didn’t bother making it quiet. “Jisung, if the twins aren’t back by the time Kun gets here, then you’ll just go shopping with him and Yuta. Yuta mentioned wanting to go to Kima to shop, so just be ready to leave when Kun gets here..” Jisung didn’t turn around but nodded to let Kunhang know that he heard him as he pinned up another strip of the streamer after ripping it off. 

“We’re gonna have to blow the balloons up ourselves?” Mark asked, handing Jisung a piece of tape. 

“Yeah. Um, is it okay if I run out to Jungeun’s house for a second to go get them? I was gonna do it earlier, but Vivi wasn’t in and no one knew where the balloons were.” Kunhang asked as he took a step towards the door. 

“That’s fine,” Mark replied. “Stay safe.” Jisung and Mark said the last sentence in unison and grinned at each other after realizing it. Kunhang laughed at them before leaving. Jisung could see him sprinting just by looking through the crack in the door and felt warmth grow in his chest at how much effort the elder was putting into Jungwoo’s celebration. 

Even though he was passionate, Kunhang was a little weird. But Jisung had never seen anyone throw a party the way he did. With his natural socializing skills and sense of humor, Kunhang was a friend of many. Add that in with the fact that he had grown up in the red light district and you had someone who was infamous for their parties within Soln. And Kunhang had never disappointed Jisung in all the years they had known each other. 

“Hey, we’re almost done. Just this last part.” Mark held out another piece of tape. Jisung took it and used all of his height and arm length to reach the last place that needed the streamer, too lazy to get off of the chair and move it. After his foot slipped off the chair, Jisung was able to slam the streamer and tape onto the wall as well as regain his balance in time to hit the ground. His feet crashed into the floor and he mentally apologized to Sehun, whose room was beneath this one and who was most definitely still sleeping. 

“You good?” Mark half-said half-laughed at Jisung. 

“Yep, totally fine.” Jisung stood up properly and stepped back, marvelling at his skill in putting the last streamer up. It was perfectly placed, exactly identical to the rest of the room. Pretty good, especially considering the fact that he had done it while almost dying. 

“That’s done. Kunhang mentioned the balloons, but he just went to get them, so until he gets back, I guess we’ll just wait.” Mark pulled the chair that Jisung was standing on back to the table, glancing out the window as he sat down. He instantly stood back up. “Yo, Kunhang’s full-on sprinting out there.” 

Jisung walked over to the window and peered down, chuckling as he saw Kunhang shoot across the road that cut through the middle of the inner city to the residential area. He really was giving his all for this celebration. “He’s something else. He really ran down two flights of stairs in a few seconds.”

“Hilarious how he never runs this fast during training.” Mark said sarcastically, swinging his legs up onto the table like how Doyoung had done earlier. 

“Hey, take ‘em off.” Jisung reprimanded the elder. “We’re putting food on there later.”

“Aren’t we using plates?”

“Germs. _Germs_.” Jisung gestured wildly to the table and then to the bottom of Mark’s shoes, which were covered in dirt and grime. “Your shoes are nasty. We can’t have that anywhere near a place we’re supposed to eat. What happened to your indoor shoes anyway?” 

“Too lazy to put them on. Had to go out this morning.” Mark answered simply, still not moving his feet. Jisung, now slightly irritated, grabbed Mark’s ankles and tossed them off, causing the elder’s whole body to spin on the chair. 

“Kunhang just put the tablecloths on. Don’t get them dirty.” Jisung may have felt weird scolding someone older than him, but he wasn’t about to let any of Kunhang’s work go to waste. 

“Okay, general.” Mark said in a mocking voice as Jisung took a chair for himself, even though Kunhang would probably be in and out of Jungeun’s house in a minute and back in even less time. Jisung kept looking out the window, watching Kunhang’s progress. He watched as Kunhang knocked on the door and as it opened almost instantly. He watched Kunhang get invited into the house and disappear from the street. 

“How do you think he’s gonna be in there?” Mark asked, a very specific look in his eyes that Jisung laughed at seeing. 

“Not long enough for you to leave. Besides, Donghyuck is probably busy.” Jisung replied. Mark snapped his head towards Jisung, offended. 

“I wasn’t planning on… Where did you get that idea?” Mark asked incredulously, and Jisung just laughed at the elder again. 

“I could tell from your eyes. Keep that up and even Donghyuck himself is gonna know how whipped you are.” Jisung said. 

Mark rolled his eyes. “Guess I should stop then? He doesn’t feel the same way. I wouldn’t want to lose my best friend.” Jisung snickered at the Mark’s denseness, but didn’t say anything else. It was annoying to watch them be this oblivious for so long, but it wasn’t Jisung’s place to reveal Donghyuck’s feelings. Jisung stopped talking and just turned back to the window, where he saw Kunhang leave Jungeun’s house, a bag in his hands, and start running back to the military compound. 

As Kunhang passed Seungyeon’s and Hui’s units’ shared house, Donghyuck opened the door and stepped out. Jisung couldn’t hear anything, but the way that Kunhang snapped his head back made Jisung guess that Donghyuck had called Kunhang’s name. 

Donghyuck jogged up to Kunhang, who had stopped running and was catching his breath. They exchanged a few words, and something Donghyuck said made Kunhang raise an eyebrow in skepticism. They talked for a little longer before Jisung saw Kunhang’s shoulders droop and a tired smile appeared on his face. Donghyuck’s face brightened and he bowed repetitively to Kunhang, who let out a sigh. Kunhang said one last thing to Donghyuck, waiting for the younger to nod, before starting for the military compound, and Donghyuck went back into the house. 

Jisung turned away from the window when Kunhang got to the front door and leaned back in his chair, waiting for the lieutenant to make it back to the conference room. He stared at his watch, counting the seconds it took for Kunhang to run up the stairs and down the hallway. Twenty seconds later, Kunhang opened the door, breathing heavily. 

“Here.” Kunhang said as he tossed the bag of balloons to Mark, who needed to lean over the table in order to catch it. The Ystellic boy groaned and barely managed to pull out a chair before collapsing. 

“You didn’t need to sprint all that way if you were gonna be this tired.” Mark stated, ripping the bag open and pulling out a balloon to hand to Jisung. Jisung took it and stretched it out before beginning to blow into it. 

“Yeah, well, I wanted to get back as soon as possible. I ran into Donghyuck, who was _not_ with Felix, by the way.” Kunhang raised an eyebrow at Jisung. He heaved a large breath into the balloon before pulling it away. 

“That’s what they told me they were going to do.” Jisung defended himself shortly before continuing to blow. 

Kunhang sighed. “Yeah, I guess, I don’t really know. So apparently, something came up with the twins, and neither of them are gonna be able to take you out, Jisungie. So that means you’ll have to wait for Yuta and Kun to finish.”

They couldn’t take him? Did Donghyuck really need all day to talk to Jaemin? And why couldn’t they save it for another day? Today was Jungwoo’s day. Jisung understood that Donghyuck wanted to know why Jeno had hid Jaemin from him, but surely it could wait. 

Jisung shook his thoughts from his head and sighed into the balloon, mumbling an ‘ok’. He hadn’t spent any time with Kun or Yuta for a while. This wouldn’t be bad.

***

“Kunhang gave me a list of what the members need to get, so here, read it. If you see anything that we need to get, then we’ll stop there.” The three were right in front of a road in Kima that cut right between the market. The street was bustling with people, no end to the chatter and vendors shouting. Jisung had been eyeing the scene warily before Kun handed him a small piece of paper that had Kunhang’s handwriting scrawled across it. Jisung took it, thankful for the distraction from the enormous crowd. 

Kun waited for a few moments to let Jisung read over the list before beginning to move into the city. Jisung finished skimming the paper quickly, Yuta reading over his shoulder, once he realized that Kun was walking and grabbed onto the elder’s sleeve, not wanting to get lost in such a crowded place. Kun turned around, giving Jisung a warm smile before pulling Jisung’s hand into his own. Yuta strolled alongside them, his steps light.

“Jisung, how about you watch the right side of the street, and I’ll pay attention to the left?” Kun asked gently, and Jisung nodded. “Yuta, you said you had your eye on something else?” 

“Yeah, I’ll get it after you two are done.” 

There wasn’t a lot that they needed to get, since most of the others had gotten their gifts beforehand. Kun and Jisung were only shopping for things that Kunhang wanted to get for the party, as well as a few stray requests from Taeyong and Doyoung. Taeyong had been too busy lately to buy his present, and Doyoung had apparently been planning to go shopping after lunch but was being trapped in the conference room with Kunhang to help continue setting up. 

The trio walked in silence, but even if they tried talking to each other, none of them would be able to hear anything over the bustle of the city most known for its trade. Once in a while, they stopped at a food vendor to buy snacks and other foods that Kunhang had wanted but Kyulkyung and Nayoung couldn’t make in their bakery. 

After a good ten minutes of maneuvering between the crowd and snacking on a box of popcorn that they had bought, Kun squeezed Jisung’s hand. Jisung looked over to the warlock, who jerked his head in the direction of a bookstore. Jisung nodded, assuming that Kun had wanted to get his gift for Jungwoo in there. Jisung tapped Yuta’s shoulder to get the elder’s attention, and after gesturing to the store, they crossed the river of people to get to the store. 

Upon entering, the smell of old paper hit Jisung like a horse. It wasn't necessarily a bad smell, but strong nonetheless. As soon as they got in, Yuta split off from Jisung and Kun to go look around on his own. When Jisung let go of the warlock's hand, Kun walked up to the worker at the check out and asked a question that Jisung wasn't paying attention to. Jisung looked around the large shelves that lined the walls and made numerous little pathways within the store, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kun beckoning for him to follow.

Jisung trailed after Kun into a section of the store that held the fairytale genre, and he smiled when he remembered that Jungwoo’s favorite books to read were fantasy. He picked a book off of the shelf, reading the title. _Dystopia: The Tree of Language._ Jisung faintly recognized Yuta coming into the aisle as he looked down at the author name and was shocked to see that there was not one, but seven names on the book. He flipped through the book, skimming the pages. It spoke of two sisters, one an angel and the other a demon. The demon was trying to steal a special power from a tree that was protected by magic, so she could not get to it directly. So she took another girl to get it for her. It seemed incredibly interesting, but before Jisung read any further, he glanced up to check if Kun was still there. 

Kun still was, thankfully. He was pulling out various books from the shelf and looking over the content, trying to find one that Jungwoo's would like. Jisung was about to get back to reading his own book when a group of boys came into the aisle, talking to each other in Ystellic, drawing the attention of both Yuta and Kun and making them look up. 

Yuta stepped in front of Jisung, trying to block him from the new arrivals, but unlike Kun, he didn't seem to be surprised. Kun dropped his book onto the ground, and Jisung, who was more focused on the sudden movements of his friends, was slightly confused at the reaction. Maybe the boys had said something weird. But it didn't matter, since Jisung couldn't understand them anyway.

But when Jisung actually looked at them, he realized that Kun had every right to be surprised. In broad daylight, right in front of him, stood four boys with a sun burned into their necks. And in the middle of them stood a very familiar, scowling face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I add a point of view that isn't Jisung's. Baby boy, sorry.  
> Anyways! Ridin'? Man, that absolutely blew me away. Dream never disappoints. This is why I stan. Who knew that Hyuck could be so damn hot? (I did, but it's really hitting me now)


	7. a new perspective

Blood. Dirt covering his friends’ bodies as a lunatic stood in the middle, laughing. His sister laying on the ground in pieces. So much screaming. So much sweat. Why wasn’t he doing anything? Why couldn’t he move? Everyone was in front of him. They were right there, calling out to him with what little energy they had before they died. He reached his hand out to the one closest to him, who grabbed it and pulled him down into the ground alongside the bodies. 

“Your fault. Your fault. You could’ve stopped this.” Everyone whispered, their hands clambering over his body. The only one wasn’t covered in red stickiness. He could’ve stopped it…

***

“Hey, hey, wake up. You’re dreaming again. Wake up, Renjunnie. It’s not real.” Gentle hands shook Renjun from his sleep, and Renjun snapped up, sweat dripping from every part of his body. His breathing was heavy as he looked around him. 

“Deep breaths.” Renjun inhaled slowly and exhaled, repeating the process. “Good job. You’re doing so well, baby.” Taeil wrapped his arms around Renjun, and Renjun let himself sink into the embrace. He reached his hand up Taeil’s shirt and traced the scar that ran along Taeil’s entire back. The scar that wouldn’t have been there if Renjun had just run a little faster. When Taeil felt Renjun touching his scar, he just held the younger even closer. 

“You’re okay, Renjunnie. You’re okay.” Renjun didn’t realize that blood was running down his face until it began to leave red spots in Taeil’s shirt. Taeil noticed that and already had out a handkerchief, gently placing it in Renjun’s hand that the elder had taken off of his scar. Taeil knew that it brought Renjun so much guilt, and he knew that the younger didn’t need to feel any of it. 

Renjun took it and wiped at his eyes aggressively. Other than Renjun’s heavy breathing and sniffling, the two sat in silence for a while. Renjun didn’t even realize that it was the middle of the night until he saw the small mole underneath Taeil’s lip emitting a dim glow. 

“I’m sorry I woke you up.” Renjun whispered into Taeil’s chest. 

“Don’t worry about it, baby. I don’t care. I care that you’re safe and happy,” Taeil placed a kiss on Renjun’s head and pulled him closer. “I’m always here for you.” Taeil’s voice flowed softly over Renjun’s ears, and in the elder’s warm embrace, Renjun felt himself fall back asleep. 

***

Renjun woke up tangled in Taeil’s arms, the elder’s soft breaths filling the room. Jaemin hadn’t come back yet, and Renjun frowned. It had already been a week since he had seen the other. Not a single person in Mirit had any clue where he was and for all they knew, Jaemin could be dead. 

But Taeil was a human spell of calmness, and even though he hated it, Renjun couldn’t find himself worrying about Jaemin. He lay still for a long time until Taeil stirred. The medic’s eyes opened just barely, but he smiled gently at Renjun. 

“Good morning. Did you sleep okay?” Taeil asked, voice raspy with sleep. 

“Thanks to you. Thank you, Taeil. Were you uncomfortable?” Renjun pulled himself to sit up and rubbed at his eyes, causing the blood that had crusted around them to slowly fall off. 

“No, I was fine. You need to go eat something and get your energy back up. Let’s go. I’m sure that Jun, Mingyu, and Minghao have already made breakfast for today.” Taeil swung his legs off of the bed, and Renjun didn’t miss him stuffing a blood-stained handkerchief in his pocket. 

“That’s the eighteenth one this month, right? I’m sorry, Taeil.” Renjun apologized and Taeil shook his head. 

“This is the least I can do for you, Renjunnie. If I can’t heal your health problems, then I can at least give you my help in dealing with the consequences.” Taeil held out his hand for Renjun to take, and when Renjun did, he pulled him off of the bed. Renjun’s vision went black for a few seconds and he stumbled, nausea enveloping him. Luckily, Taeil caught him before he hit the ground and put his arm underneath Renjun’s torso to pull him up. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, for God’s sake. You’re family. This is what I’m supposed to do. You aren’t a burden, don’t ever worry about me thinking that you are.” Taeil threw one of Renjun’s arms around his shoulder, beginning to walk to the cafeteria. 

Taeil was silent on the way, just like how he usually was, and that suited Renjun perfectly fine. He didn’t have the energy to talk. He never did after nights like last night. It made it even worse without Jaemin’s smile that charged him up as soon as he looked at it. Life was a bit harder without Jaemin at his side, where he had been ever since the younger had been born. And Renjun couldn’t think of any place where he could be. Not even Yangyang knew. 

The first person to catch sight of Taeil and Renjun coming into the cafeteria was Johnny. He stood up, his extremely tall build easy to see among the rest of the people in the cafeteria, and started walking towards the pair. When he reached them, he easily scooped Renjun off of his feet and carried him like a child. 

“How’d you sleep, Renjun? There’s still blood around your eyes.” Johnny asked, and Renjun shrugged as best as he could in Johnny’s arms. 

“I slept fine since Taeil came in and helped me.” Renjun replied. “What about you?” 

“I slept very well. I got around six hours of sleep. That’s the best in a while.” Johnny said, setting Renjun down gently on a chair. 

“That’s really good.” Even though Johnny bent down for him, Taeil had to reach up in order to pat Johnny’s head. Johnny closed his eyes in happiness at the contact. 

“Hi, Renjunnie.” Renjun instinctively batted at the hands that pressed on Renjun’s head like a button, but his hair couldn’t possibly be any more messed up than it was already. 

“Good morning, Sicheng,” Renjun greeted the medic when he sat down across the table. Sicheng wore a catlike smile on his gentle features, pure happiness shining like the sun. His eyes were crinkled at the ends because of it. “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing much, really. It’s just that today, I’m taking Xiaojun out to Kima. He’s been asking to see it for a while, and I haven’t been able to get permission until last night, only under the condition that Ten comes with us. I’m just really glad that I’m the one who gets to take him out that far for the first time. I don’t feel safe when he goes out with Yukhei and Yangyang.” Sicheng admitted. 

A raised eyebrow from Johnny earned a sputter from Sicheng. “I’m not saying that either of them can’t protect him, I just get really worried for him.” Sicheng corrected himself as Johnny and Taeil pulled out seats for themselves. 

“I get that. I worry whenever you guys go out without me.” Taeil confessed. 

“You’re gonna keep an eye out for Jaemin while you’re there, right?” Renjun asked. Sicheng gave him a gentle look. 

“Of course I am. Admiral Hyuna would have my head if I didn’t at least try to look for him.” Sicheng replied. 

“I’m sure he’ll be back soon. You know how he is.” Taeil comforted Renjun, and he nodded. Jaemin had always been a free soul, hating to be kept inside Mirit for more than a week. But before, he only needed a few hours outside. Why was he spending an entire week outside of Mirit, especially when he knew that they were so close to breaking through the mountain walls? He wasn’t even communicating with them. 

Renjun’s heart hurt a little at the thought that, maybe, Jaemin didn’t care about them anymore. It wasn’t like his brand proved a problem in blending in with the outside. Jaemin had the charisma to make people think that it was just a fashion statement, and not something that all of the Monteo were forced to get by the Room when they turned a year old. He could do that. And Jaemin hadn’t been talking to Renjun lately, keeping him at a distance that drove him crazy. Maybe Jaemin had been planning to leave all along, and meeting that bunch of DAMR rats had been the final tipping point. 

Renjun wasn’t blind. He saw the way that Jaemin looked at the blond boy who acted like the leader when their real one was silent. Like he had just seen the god of the sun. Like his life had just been completed. It was a look that even Renjun had never gotten from him. His mouth had tasted like pure coffee for days after that. And yet, Renjun couldn’t bring himself to try and keep Jaemin away from the boy.

When Renjun had felt the Klare Leu during that first meeting, he knew immediately that he needed to tell someone, _anyone_ , about the rats. So he told Johnny, the one who grew up with them. He described everything about them, from their hair color to the way they held themselves to their cheekbone height. Johnny, even though his memory was foggy, remembered their leader very well. When Renjun had told the elder the leader’s name, it seemed like his entire body lost all of its blood, becoming even paler than Dahyun. Johnny then proceeded to tell Renjun everything he remembered about the ‘dream team’, as they were called-- he didn’t ask for it, but Johnny had seemed so happy to talk about them. Renjun didn’t have the heart to tell him that he didn’t care, so he just listened to what Johnny had to say about this ‘dream team’ that the prophesized Klare Leu was part of. 

Maybe it was because of the beautiful words that Johnny used to describe Jeno that Renjun couldn’t bring himself to hate him, even though he was taking Renjun’s best friend, his soulmate, away from him. If anything, he was mad at himself for not being enough for Jaemin’s curiosity. If Renjun had been enough, then Jaemin wouldn’t need Jeno. But Renjun failed to meet the criteria. He couldn’t hate neither Jeno nor Jaemin. He couldn’t seem to be able to hate any of the dream team. Not with what Johnny told him, and Renjun trusted Johnny with his life. 

The Klare Leu, Jisung, was a mystery to the both of them, though. Johnny had confessed that he left when Jisung was only three or four years old, and therefore knew nothing about what he was like both personality and looks-wise. That was what prompted Renjun to hunt down Jisung the second time the dream team came onto the mountains. And honestly? Jaemin would make a better Klare Leu than Jisung. Jisung couldn’t weave his words together as well, he didn’t have the charisma that would make one accept him as the Klare Leu. His aura was weak. Renjun would’ve missed it if he wasn’t paying attention. He looked like a sheltered child, someone who had been kept in the dark of the true horrors of the conflict between the Monteo and the DAMR. Anyone would be better. Not only was Jisung not fit for the job, he was a child. No child should have to go through the burden of being the one to cleanse Vaela. 

He digressed. 

According to Johnny, Jeno was perfect in every way, except that he ‘gives everything to other people even when he has nothing left to offer’. Since he could remember, Renjun had always been taking from Jaemin. He had always been next to Jaemin, even when the younger was busy. Always taking up his free time, his working time. Always needing attention. Always being so tired and out of blood that Jaemin ended up constantly giving away his own food. Renjun was the exact opposite of Jeno. It wasn’t unreasonable for Jaemin to want to be around the DAMR soldier more. But it still hurt a little. A lot. 

“ _Renjun? Is everything okay?_ ” Sicheng asked softly in Ystellic. Although neither of them had ever been that far outside of Mirit, they both knew the language that their ancestors had spoken. 

“ _I’m fine. Don’t worry about me._ ” Renjun smiled back at the elder, and after a quick eyebrow raise, Sicheng left it alone. Renjun didn’t want to worry him anyway. Sicheng was about to have the day of his life with Xiaojun, and hell if Renjun ruined it for him. 

After a moment of silence, Sicheng spoke again. “You know, why don't you come with us?” Sicheng asked excitedly as he grabbed Renjun’s hand, his eyes suddenly lighting up as if he had just had the best idea of the millennia. 

Renjun raised an eyebrow warily at the elder, but didn't move his hand. “Wouldn't you need to get permission from the admiral to take me with you?” 

“I'm sure I can just ask now.” Sicheng stood up, his chair scraping against the floor loudly, earning him a few curious looks from around the cafeteria. He smiled sheepishly, but then turned his attention back to Renjun.

“Are you sure?” Renjun cowered back his seat, his hand having been let go of when Sicheng stood up. He looked over to Taeil and Johnny, and the both of them shrugged noncommittally. 

“It might be good for you, Renjunnie. You haven't gotten out as much recently.” Johnny mused.

“Although I am a bit worried. If you had another episode last night, your body still might be recovering from the blood loss. It might be best if you stay back.” Taeil said thoughtfully, his fingers drumming against his jaw.

“He'll be fine. Both Xiaojun and I are medics; we can take care of him if anything bad happens. Plus Tennie is coming with us.” Sicheng replied. A single look into Sicheng’s eyes that were twinkling like the night stars made all of Taeil’s skepticism disappear. 

“Alright, fine. But are you okay with it?” Taeil turned to Renjun, who made eye contact with Sicheng and sighed. There was no way he could say no to that face.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Sicheng cheered and started running out of the cafeteria. 

“You sure? You don’t have to force yourself.” Taeil said in a gentle voice, tilting his head. Renjun nodded. Johnny was right. He did need to get out. Plus, there was no way that Hyuna would give him permission to leave Mirit so suddenly... 

Which was what Renjun had thought, but obviously, Sicheng had done something to make Hyuna give permission. _Witchcraft_ , Renjun thought to himself as he watched Sicheng happily converse with Xiaojun. Ten would meet up with them in another few minutes and they would teleport to Kima. They were hoping to spend the entire day there, but honestly, Renjun couldn’t care less as long as he was with them.

“You haven’t been to Kima either, right, Renjunnie?” Xiaojun broke off from his brother to talk to Renjun. 

“Yeah. All I know about it are from Sicheng, Jun, and Minghao’s accounts.” Renjun replied.

“You two are gonna love it. The crowds are huge, but there are a bunch of really good stores that you’ll love. I’m sure that Tennie could even show you some of the stores that he always goes to.” Sicheng said.

“And no one is gonna notice these?” Renjun pointed to the sun on his neck, and Sicheng shook his head. 

“No one outside of Mirit knows about them. Most people just assume that it’s a cult thing. And usually no one asks about it. If they do, just tell them it’s a religious thing. They believe it.” Xiaojun and Renjun nodded in acknowledgement. “And watch what you say. Even if you say it in Ystellic, Kima is a city that’s filled with people from all over, and there’s a chance that someone will hear you and be able to translate.” Sicheng told them with a worried look on his face.

“We’ll be okay, Sicheng. You’ll be there to help us out.” Xiaojun smiled at his brother, who let out an exasperated sigh. 

“I hope I’ll be able to keep an eye on you two while watching Ten at the same time.” 

Someone snuck up behind Renjun and shook the younger’s shoulders. Renjun shot forward, almost cursing at them in surprise. “What? You don’t need to keep an eye on me. I’ll behave.” Renjun turned around to look at his assailant and saw Ten’s laughing face, his eyes crinkling from how wide his smile was. 

“Like I believe that.” Sicheng scoffed. 

“Hey, if you’re really worried, then we can just go to White Night. You can easily keep an eye on us in there.” Ten suggested, and Renjun tilted his head in curiosity.

“White Night?” Renjun asked. 

“It’s a book store. It’s really good, and it has stories from famous authors like Dreamcatcher and Kim Sejeong, and books from every single genre you can think of. It also sells music CDs and records from Min Yoongi and Kim Wonshik.” Sicheng explained. This piqued Renjun’s interest, and he could see Xiaojun brighten up as well, especially at the mention of Kim Sejeong. Xiaojun had always been a huge romance nerd. Renjun was more into fantasy, stories that weren’t just about a princess who needed saving from a prince. Dreamcatcher was a writing group led by Kim Minji, and they always provided the perfect balance of magic and horror. 

“Well, I’m all for spending the entire day there.” Xiaojun said, which earned a skeptical half-smile from his brother. 

“Are you sure you want to spend all day in a bookstore? I’m sure Kima has other places that you would like.” 

Xiaojun nodded. “I’m fine with it. I don’t wanna make you watch all three of us at once. Renjunnie, this is fine with you, right?” 

Renjun shrugged. “Honestly, I’m fine wherever you guys want.”

Sicheng still looked hesitant, prompting Ten to say ‘Just go with it. You need a break, and you can’t exactly get that walking through Kima’s crowds’. The medic quickly gave up on arguing and sighed, a fond smile on his face. 

“Alright, if you guys really want to.” Sicheng said, exhaling with a tiny laugh. 

“You guys are gonna love it there, I promise you that.” Ten turned to face both Xiaojun and Renjun, and Renjun sincerely hoped that Ten was right. 

***

When Renjun walked into the store, the nostalgic scent of old books filled his nose, and he took a deep breath in. Just looking at the numerous bookshelves gave Renjun a joy that he could only describe as heavenly. Sicheng turned to Ten after giving the woman at the cash register a greeting bow. 

“Take care of them for a minute. I’ll be right back.” Sicheng told him, and Ten nodded. Renjun followed Sicheng with his eyes as the medic ducked into a row of shelves. He thought that Ten suggested coming here so that Sicheng could keep an eye on everyone, but he was the first one to go off on his own. _Oh, well_. Renjun brushed it away from his mind and looked at Xiaojun, who was eyeing an aisle that had a sign that read ‘Romantic Fiction’. 

“Ten, how about we go in there?” Renjun pointed at the aisle, and Xiaojun, also turning to look at Ten, nodded enthusiastically. 

“Let’s wait for Sicheng to finish whatever he wants to look at. It’s better to move in groups, and considering how big this place is, we might never find him again.” Ten replied with a smile on his face. Xiaojun and Renjun nodded, knowing that the store _was_ quite large. It even had a second floor, and maybe even higher. 

So they stood at the front for a little while longer until Sicheng came back, glowing with happiness. “Okay! Where to?” Renjun thought it was a little suspicious, but it was Sicheng. He couldn’t really think anything negative about someone like that. 

It felt like a dream, watching Xiaojun flit around the aisle excitedly while Sicheng looked happily at whatever his little brother showed him. Ten also took a book from the shelf and showed it to Renjun. It was short, less than ten chapters long and an easy read to pass the time as he waited for Xiaojun to finish so they could move to find Renjun’s favorite genre. Ten and Renjun found a lounge area with a few armchairs next to the stairs and they both took a seat there, each reading their own book while Xiaojun gushed over the selection of stories and authors that the store had. 

Renjun was even happier when Xiaojun finally finished and said that they should find the fantasy section. Sicheng said that he saw it earlier while looking around, and he brought them there. Renjun was anxious, to say the least. Dreamcatcher had apparently come out with a new series called Dystopia, and Renjun was itching to read it. 

But as soon as he walked into the fantasy aisle, he regretted ever agreeing to come. _Why does this kid pop up every fucking where I go?_ Renjun thought angrily to himself as he met the Klare Leu’s eyes. As usual, he was being protected by someone else, and the fact that the ‘savior’ was so weak and sheltered added fuel to the flame. 

Renjun could tell that Sicheng and Ten wanted to play it cool, like they were just regular passerby, but the way that the magic standing across from Jisung dropped his book made them all realize that they couldn’t pretend to be normal. These people obviously knew who they were. 

Even though Renjun wanted to claw all three of their eyes out for what they did to Hara, he felt Xiaojun grab onto his wrist. When Renjun looked to the brown haired boy, Xiaojun shook his head. His eyes said ‘Don’t do anything’, and his mouth silently said ‘Let Sicheng and Ten take care of it’, and Renjun felt stupid. Of course Sicheng and Ten would take care of it. They had infinitely more experience in the outside world, and more knowledge about what to do in this kind of situation. They were smart. They would figure something out. 

But as the silence continued between both parties, Renjun began to realize that the two magics did _not_ know what to do, and it seemed like neither did the Foralu. All of them just stared at each other for the longest time before the man guarding Jisung sighed.

“Okay!” He said, clapping his hands together as he forced a smile onto his face. _How high ranking is this guy?_ Renjun liked to observe skirmishes from the trees with Yangyang, and he had seen a lot of them. But he had never once seen this red haired man before. Yet he seemed to know about the Monteo.

The man speaking spurred Ten to do something. Ten’s voice came into Renjun's thoughts. _Xiaojun, take care of Renjun. Run. Meet me and Sicheng at the place where we teleported here from._

Xiaojun's thoughts were calm. _What are you two going to do?_

Ten’s words were absolute as he sent a final instruction. _Don't worry about us. Just go._ Xiaojun's grip tightened around Renjun’s wrist, and they ran. Hopefully, Ten and Sicheng would get out of there alive. They almost didn't last time. 

As Xiaojun and Renjun burst out into the busy streets and they made their way to the rendezvous point, Renjun offered a silent prayer to whatever god was listening. _Please, don't hurt them anymore._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't love Huang Renjun, you're lying and you will be held accountable for your lies in the next part of life. I hate myself for torturing him like this. It'll get better, I promise (that's mostly for myself so I don't cry)  
> Also bc this chapter was so short, I'll get the next one up by the end of the week. Thank you for bearing with me!


	8. the moonchild's informant

Sicheng almost let out a sigh of relief when his brother and Renjun made it out of the store. He had never thought that there would be someone who recognized the sun in what had become a sanctuary for New. Although, he knew Yuta was there. He had just talked to the elder. But Yuta didn't know that Sicheng was there with other people.

“Well, that's sad.” Yuta, who was guarding the moon, frowned, obviously angry, pissed beyond belief. “I just wanted to talk.”

“Yuta, you can't possibly expect to get anything out of this.” Kun scolded Yuta. Yuta looked straight forward into Sicheng’s eyes with a piercing glare. What did he want with him? They had just talked and exchanged information.

“Well, I can certainly try, can't I.” 

“Wait.” Sicheng shocked himself when he spoke. Usually, Ten took care of this. The elder was a magnificent storyteller, and even better at impulsive lies. And Sicheng could tell that Ten was surprised as well; he could feel Ten's stare on his back. 

“What is it?” Yuta’s voice was cold. Monotone. Mildly terrifying. Nothing like the cheerful man that he had met years before, and even just a few minutes ago.

Sicheng’s voice caught in his throat, and he had four pairs of eyes on him at once. He couldn't do this. Why had he even spoken up in the first place? He should've left it to Ten. Ten was smart. Ten would've been able to take care of it. He just ruined whatever Ten was planning to say to get them out. What was Sicheng doing? 

“We don’t want any trouble.” Ten saved Sicheng from saying anything stupid, but it’s not like he could talk anyway. 

“Well, if you didn’t want any trouble, then you would’ve stayed in the mountains, wouldn’t you?” Yuta bit out, which Sicheng found odd, since he was the one who called Sicheng out today.

“Yuta, don’t waste your energy. We should go back and report this back to the general.” Kun said. Sicheng had seen Kun before, but that was last July. Now, he had a silver undercut, similar to the color that Renjun’s hair used to be before, and he now radiated the same amount of magical energy as Sojung. He was powerful. 

Yuta bared his teeth at Sicheng and Ten, only stopping when the moonchild put a hand on his shoulder. Was that child the one that Wonwoo, Sojung, Cheng Xiao, and Taeil had warned everyone about? None of his informants had ever said anything about this child. He had to take that up with them the next time he saw them.

“Do you have everything you need?” Yuta didn’t turn to look at Kun, keeping his eyes solely on Sicheng and Ten. The magic nodded. “Then give me a second. I recognize this bastard from when I went to help clean up 95.” Yuta pointed at Ten, who locked eyes with the Foralu, face uninterested but his hands fidgety behind his back. 

“You were there. Don’t even try to deny it. I saw you hiding in the trees while I had to clean up the bodies of my friends.” Yuta snarled. 

Ten didn’t show any emotion on his face, and all hope for this interaction to go smoothly completely went out the door. “I was there. I remember you as well. You had brown hair back then, didn’t you?”

“Shut up, you fucking murderer.” Yuta looked ready to launch himself at Ten, but before he could, the moon ran in front of him. 

“Yuta, stop. We can’t make a scene here.” The moonchild pleaded.  _ Please, moonchild, stop him. Because Ten won’t fight back,  _ Sicheng pleaded silently. Ten hated himself for his actions that day, but he couldn’t do anything but follow Jungah’s orders. So if Yuta chose to kill Ten, then Ten wouldn’t do anything to stop him. Because Ten felt that he deserved death. 

“I don’t care. That piece of trash killed my best friend and the only person that Tyongie ever loved. And the worst part of it all? He didn’t even leave the body. How the fuck are we supposed to grieve without a goddamn body?” Yuta’s voice almost became a mixture of a sob and a shriek. Sicheng instantly knew who Yuta was talking about, and Ten became as pale as a ghost. 

“Y-You…” Ten, for once in his life, was at a loss for words. 

“What the fuck about me?” Yuta was becoming more violent by the second, tears beginning to trail down his cheeks, and Sicheng began to worry if the moonchild could hold him back any longer. He prayed that the moonchild would be able to hold out for a little while, until Sicheng could get enough strength to teleport two people at once. He had never been trained as a proper magic, and he wasn’t skilled in teleportation magic. He would have to take Ten to Xiaojun and Renjun. Perhaps Sicheng could just send Ten on his own, but his aim wasn’t accurate.

“Yuta, calm down, please.” The moonchild put a hand on Yuta’s cheek, stroking it softly. A fraction of Yuta’s anger faded, but the vast majority was still there. And aimed at Ten, who was staring at the ground, eyes wide and not hearing anything going on around him. “Kun, can you take care of him for a second? Maybe a calming spell, I don’t know, anything. But keep him conscious. I want him to hear this next part.”

Kun mumbled a spell that Sicheng recognized as the sense nullification spell that all Monteo magic-medics used before resetting a bone, and the moonchild turned to face Sicheng and Ten when Yuta relaxed into Kun’s arms. “Excuse me, blond-hair.” Ten didn’t move. He was completely frozen, no doubt by the memories of what he had done that day. “Can you please get his attention for me?” The moonchild addressed Sicheng, and Sicheng furrowed his brows.

“You won’t do anything bad to him, right?” Sicheng asked suspiciously. The moonchild’s eyes were serious. Too serious for someone his age. 

“If I wanted to harm him, I would’ve let Yuta have his way.” That was enough for Sicheng. 

He stepped in front of Ten, grabbing the elder’s shoulders and shaking gently. “Hey, Tenten, you can’t zone out now. You’re being requested by the moon himself. Don’t worry about anything, okay? He won’t do anything bad.” Sicheng whispered as quietly as he could, and Ten met Sicheng’s eyes slowly. “Good job. Now,” Sicheng stepped out of the way and gestured to the moonchild. 

“Is he responsive?” The moonchild asked. Sicheng nodded. “Good. Are you Ruin Ten?” 

If Ten hadn’t been on full alert before, he was now. Both Sicheng and Ten snapped their heads towards the moonchild. “How do you know my name and my rank?” Ten demanded. How did the moonchild even know what a Ruin was? According to Johnny, the DAMR used a completely different ranking system. And Sicheng knew the Council well. They wouldn't tell this child any of the information that he gave them. Not like he ever explained the ranks to them. The pompous shits said they don't need to know about the ranks of a failed people.

“A friend of a friend. So you are Ruin Ten?” The moonchild said. Ten kept his silence, and the moonchild sighed. “Fine, stay silent. It doesn’t matter. Yuta, I want you to listen to me.” Yuta raised his head to glare at the moonchild but didn’t say anything. “Seo Youngho is still alive.” 

Sicheng felt himself lose all his senses and all the strength that he had been gathering to teleport him and Ten out of there. That was Johnny’s real name. The name that he used when he was still a Foralu. How did the moonchild know that he wasn’t dead? If the moon truly was feeding him this information, then it would be deadly for the Monteo. Sicheng had never mentioned Johnny's name, not even once, during all of his meetings with the Council or Boa or Yuta. So who was giving the moonchild this information?

Kun struggled to catch Yuta before he collapsed to the ground and only managed to slightly soften to the fall. Yuta’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head, and even though Kun didn’t show it, Sicheng could see the confusion and shock radiating off of his body. Ten looked like he was going to burst with guilt, and Sicheng understood why. Johnny had never mentioned a lover. Could they even have been lovers at age eleven?

“How-- Where did you get that information?” Ten sputtered. 

“A friend of a friend.” The moonchild replied again. Ten gained his composure and Sicheng saw the elder’s eyes turn hazel as they locked onto the moonchild’s own.  _ Well, it’s over for his secrets.  _

After a few seconds, information began to come into Sicheng’s head.  _ Park Jisung. Age 18. The Klare Leu. Older brother is Lee Taeyong, older sister is Kwon Boa, general of the DAMR. Part of a squad called ‘The Dream Team’. Was required to go on a recon mission on the mountains. Met Jaemin and Renjun. Jaemin gave the information and is currently hiding in the capital with friend Jeno.  _

“Goddamned Jaemin… He’s so fucking dead when we get to him.” Ten growled, his eyes turning back to normal. The moonchild blanched at his secrets being said out loud. 

“ _ Rulers of the stars, take us to the place we most-- _ ” Ten had almost finished the teleportation spell when Yuta suddenly called out, making him lose his concentration. 

“Wait!” 

Ten groaned and turned to the Foralu. “What do you want now? We’re in the middle of something.”

“Y-Youngho’s really alive?” Yuta said in a high whine, eyes pleading for confirmation.  _ It must’ve really affected him when Johnny first left,  _ Sicheng thought. 

“He is. He’s alive and healthy. I’m sure if he wants to, we could arrange for you to see him.” Ten told Yuta. Ten’s voice came back into Sicheng’s thoughts.  _ Remind me to kill Jaemin later.  _ Sicheng chuckled and sent Ten a discreet thumbs up. But he really did hope that Jaemin had a very,  _ very  _ good explanation for why he had gone missing for a week and had chosen to hide in the Foralu’s capital, as well as leak information. 

“Would you really?” Yuta picked himself off of the floor, the temporary effects of the nullification spell wearing off. His eyes were filled with hope, like a child.  _ How many stars does he hold in his eyes?  _ Sicheng marvelled at the pure joy that replaced Yuta’s fiery rage that had swallowed him whole just a minute earlier. 

Ten was a softie for innocence. Add that with the guilt he had already felt for taking Johnny away from the Foralu, and all the bloodlust that had been radiating off of his body dissipated and was replaced with motherly warmth. “Of course. I bet he misses you all.” 

“Wait, how did you know that it was Jaemin?” Jisung interrupted. 

“Why don’t you ask him? I’m sure he’d tell you, like he’s been telling you everything else. If you thought things were rocky with Renjun before, wait until he finds out about where his best friend is.” Ten spat, his anger returning immediately at the mention of Jaemin’s name. “Sicheng, let’s go.” Ten reached out his hand for Sicheng to grab onto, and in an instant, the moonchild, Kun, and Yuta were things of the past. Xiaojun and Renjun were in front of him instead, and Sicheng couldn’t have felt more relieved that they made it safely.  _ Who knows how many more of them are here? _ Sicheng thought as he wrapped the two younger boys in his arms as tightly as his body could possibly do.  _ Thank you.  _

“Hey.” Sicheng exhaled into Xiaojun and Renjun’s shoulders. His entire body had been tense since the moonchild asked about Ten, and now, breathing in a familiar scent, Sicheng could feel himself relax. 

“What did you guys do? They just let you go like that?” Xiaojun asked, worry in his voice, but he let Sicheng continue to hug him. 

“Well, we were gonna make a run for it like you guys, but one of them recognized me from the whole Squadron 95 incident and wanted to kill me. The Klare Leu stopped him from doing it though.” Ten explained quickly. Sicheng let out a soft chuckle at how much Ten left out. 

“Why would he want to kill you though? Was it just solidarity with everyone who lost someone, or did he lose someone himself?” Xiaojun pressed. Sicheng finally peeled himself off of the two kids, but Xiaojun grabbed back onto his hand as soon as Sicheng made a move to go back to Ten. Renjun saw that Ten was agitated and moved over to the Ruin, rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him. 

“Uh, I apparently, uh, ‘killed’ his best friend and the lover of the moonkid’s brother.” Ten admitted, making air quotes when he said ‘killed’. 

“You  _ what _ ?” Xiaojun and Renjun gaped in surprise. 

“He was obviously talking about Johnny, who I  _ didn’t  _ kill, which you know already. So he wanted me dead for that, but the moonkid told him that Johnny was still alive. And then he looked at me with the puppy eyes and I couldn’t help but offer to help them meet up with Johnny, which was a huge mistake on my part, I acknowledge that before you start yelling at me.” Sicheng smiled how well Ten summarized everything. Even though he left out the part about Jaemin. Hopefully, he wouldn’t talk about it. Sicheng couldn’t even begin to imagine the damage it would do to Renjun. But his own secret would cause more damage, Sicheng thought. 

Sicheng wished he could use telepathy without Ten needing to activate it for him so he could tell Xiaojun to not ask any more questions. But he couldn’t, and Xiaojun kept asking. “How did the Klare Leu know about Johnny?”  _ Please play dumb and say that it was the moon,  _ Sicheng begged, hoping that Ten was rooting around in his mind. 

He was.  _ Sorry, Sicheng. They deserve to know the truth. It’s better to tell them now rather than later, in case they find out from someone other than us. It would hurt them more that we hid it from them.  _ Sicheng begged Ten with his eyes to keep it a secret, but Ten had already made up his mind. For the better or the worse, Ten was extremely stubborn. 

“About that,” Ten started, and Sicheng couldn’t take it. He hated that they had to hurt Renjun and Xiaojun like this. They didn’t deserve to have their image of Jaemin destroyed like this. Renjun didn’t deserve to be destroyed like this. 

“Stop.” Sicheng couldn’t stop his mouth from moving. But what good reason did he have to stop Ten from revealing the truth? 

“They--” 

“I said stop. Don’t do it. Stop. Talking.” Sicheng gripped Xiaojun’s hand like a vice, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see his little brother wince in pain. Sicheng immediately released his hand and apologized quietly. 

“Sicheng. They need to know.” Ten’s usually playful demeanor was completely gone, and Sicheng was reminded for the first time in a while that Ten was older than them. 

But he couldn’t accept the fact that Ten was going to ruin Xiaojun and Renjun like this, when they weren’t even in Mirit. “And they will know. But not here. Save it for later. Please.” Sicheng used his best pair of puppy eyes, and Ten had no choice but to give in. 

“Fine. But we  _ have  _ to do it later. Once we’re back in Mirit, I won’t take any excuses.” Ten said solemnly, and Sicheng nodded, unable to say anything else. 

“What is he talking about?” Renjun asked, voice low from the serious atmosphere. 

“You’ll find out later, Renjunnie. For now, let’s just go back home.” Sicheng replied softly, looking to Ten. The Ruin sent Sicheng an apologetic smile as he said the teleportation spell. 

Ten’s spell put the four right in the middle of Sirius, the enormous star mosaic that marked the center of Mirit. Before either of the younger ones could say anything, Ten started walking back to the army section of Mirit. 

Mirit was split into four sections, the borders for each coming from one of Sirius’s rays. The northwest army section had the most land area, and next to it, the northeast section, was the nursery. All Monteo younger than sixteen lived here with the exception of specific people that Admiral Hyuna and the Room approved to live outside. The southeast section, the same size as the nursery, was General Residence, where anyone sixteen and older lived if they weren’t living in the army section. The southwest section, the smallest one, was where the two labs were built. The drill that was being used to tunnel outside of the mountains was also in the lab section. 

“Wait, Ten,” Renjun chased after Ten, who was walking as quickly as he could without running. “I thought you were going to tell us in Mirit?”

“I will. But it might be easier if I ask Admiral Hyuna to call an assembly, because this information… We need to spread it among everyone.” Ten stopped to let Renjun catch up, while Xiaojun grabbed onto Sicheng’s hand again and pulled them in the army section’s direction. 

There was no protecting Jaemin. Sicheng knew that. He really wished that he could do something, but Jaemin was almost twenty. He knew the consequences, and he had to take full responsibility for them. As good of a kid as Jaemin was, Sicheng knew that none of his behavior before would matter in the eyes of the Room and the admiral. It would hurt everyone, but Jaemin had to be exposed. He had to be taken care of before he let the Foralu know everything about Mirit and the Monteo. 

But it's not like Sicheng had any right to condemn Jaemin. Not when he was the most guilty of them all. 

“Sicheng, bring Renjun, Xiaojun, and the rest of the New to the cafeteria. I’ll get Admiral Hyuna. The rest of the building will come when she sends out the official word.” Ten commanded, and Sicheng had no choice but to follow the elder’s orders. There was authority in his voice that Sicheng hadn’t heard since  _ that  _ day. 

Sicheng grabbed Renjun’s hand in his empty one and started walking to the cafeteria. He trusted that Ten would work his magic with Hyuna. Now Sicheng had to do his job.

When they made it to the cafeteria, it was empty except for Wonwoo and Mingyu, who were sitting at a table as Wonwoo attempted to teach Mingyu how to use the little bit of magic he had. Sicheng took Xiaojun and Renjun to their regular table and they sat down. 

“Don't move. I will be right back.” Sicheng said, and they nodded in acknowledgement. He then turned to Wonwoo and Mingyu, walking up to the pair.

“I'm so sorry to interrupt, Create Wonwoo, Lieutenant Mingyu, but would either of you know where the members of New are?” Sicheng asked gently.

“I would assume that they're all training right now, or doing their jobs in their respective grounds.” Wonwoo replied, cool and steady as always.

“Oh, Doctor Taeil is in the nursery taking care of a few children who’ve come down with Octanis.” Mingyu piped up. 

“How'd you know?” Wonwoo asked his partner, with a hint of suspicion in his voice but the majority of it was innocent. 

“I ran into him while he was leaving.” Mingyu replied, shrugging.

“Thank you, Lieutenant, Create.” Sicheng said. 

“What do you need them for?” Wonwoo smiled at Sicheng, his almond eyes filled with curiosity. 

“Ruin Ten and I went to Kima with Renjun and Xiaojun just now, and we have information that we need to share. Ruin Ten is speaking with Admiral Hyuna right now to arrange an assembly, and he instructed me to collect the New members.”  _ I also have something to tell you all. _

“Information? How did you come across it?” Wonwoo’s smile disappeared, now replaced with poorly masked suspicion. 

“Ruin Ten and I will explain later. As for now, I have to get the others. Thank you for the tips, Create Wonwoo and Lieutenant Mingyu.” Sicheng bowed to the two before leaving the cafeteria. It wouldn't be hard to get the others except for Taeil. It would take awhile for him to get all the way to the nursery clinic, not to mention all the quarantine precautions he would need to go through to get into the clinic. 

_ I can't believe that Octanis is still spreading around,  _ Sicheng thought as he ran to the training ground in the back of the military building. Octanis was the virus that the original Monteo had created to weaken the Foralu. It had been decades since then, yet despite the Monteo’s best efforts to get rid of it, it still lingered within Mirit. And it was even worse that it was going around in the nursery, with all the young children and their weak immune systems. 

Sicheng opened the back door, bending over and taking a second to catch his breath before running to the training grounds. The majority of the ranked soldiers were there, aside from Jinho and Soyeon’s units, nicknamed Tentastic and Idle respectively. Ten had jokingly started calling Jinho’s unit ‘Tentastic’ because he ‘approved’ of them. Soyeon’s unit was always busy, always on the move, so Hyuna had started calling them ‘Idle’ for the irony. 

Sicheng approached Johnny, who was in the middle of overlooking a squadron’s exercises. Johnny gave him a gentle smile. “Hey, Sicheng. You’re back early. Weren’t you planning to spend all day in Kima?” 

“Something important came up, and we had to come back. Would it be too much for me to ask to pull you, Jaehyun, and Yukhei out of training for the time being?” Sicheng asked. 

“All of us?” Johnny threw a glance in Yukhei’s direction, whose squadron was being worked to the bone by Sunmi. “Jaehyun and I can leave anytime, but I don’t know if Vice Admiral Sunmi is going to let Yukhei out.” 

“I can ask her.” Sicheng offered, knowing that Sunmi was just like Ten. Weak for innocence and puppy eyes. Sicheng had “god-like prowess” at the latter, quoting Chungha. And as an added plus, Sicheng was close with her. She had taught him basic self-defense and even a little more before he had decided that he was going to be a medic. 

“Alright. I’ll go grab Jaehyun. Is there somewhere you want us to go?”

“Meet in the cafeteria. Xiaojun and Renjun are already there. Ten will probably take another few minutes. I’ll be there in like, two minutes. I just have to grab Yangyang.” Sicheng told the elder. 

“Are you going to tell me why you need us?” Johnny asked before he turned to Jaehyun’s squadron. 

“You’ll find out later.” Sicheng replied. 

“Fair enough.” Johnny waved goodbye to Sicheng as he ran off. Sicheng smiled happily and waved back before he set off to talk to Sunmi. 

She was busy shouting orders at her troops, and she didn’t notice Sicheng at all until he said her name. “Oh, Sicheng, what’s up?” 

“Hi, Sunmi. Is it okay if I borrow Yukhei for a little bit?” Sicheng asked as politely as he could, but he didn’t use her title. He knew that she didn’t like the formality of it. 

“Why?” She asked incredulously.

“I need him for a meeting. Ten and I got information in Kima that we need to let everyone know. He’s talking to Admiral Hyuna right now and asking if she could call a formal meeting, but I’m supposed to get all the New members in the cafeteria so even if she says no, we can tell them in person.” Sicheng explained. 

“I suppose so. Have him back as soon as you finish.” Sunmi ordered, and Sicheng nodded. “Yukhei, come here!” 

Yukhei came running over, face and neck covered in little sweat droplets. He shoved his sword back into his sheath and smiled at Sicheng before facing Sunmi. “Yes, ma’am?” 

“Sicheng is saving you for the time being. Don’t cause trouble for him.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Yukhei’s smile spread wider as he saluted Sunmi. Sicheng gave Sunmi a quick hug, and then he and Yukhei were off for the field that all the magics trained in. 

“What’s going on, Sicheng?” Yukhei asked, voice shaky as he tried to get his breath back from the intense training that Sunmi had just put him through.

“I’m grabbing Yangyang before we meet with the rest of New. Ten and I have something that we need to tell you guys.” Sicheng replied. “Are you okay to run?”

Yukhei nodded, and the both of them started running towards the field. It was protected by a forcefield that alerted everyone at the field when someone came through it, a safety hazard so any visitors weren’t hit by stray spells. Sicheng approached Sojung, who was helping Yangyang with a spell that would allow him to control insects. 

“Hi, Sicheng! Hi, Yukhei!” Yangyang chirped happily, earning a scolding noise from Sojung, and he turned right back to the cicada that was about to fly away. 

“What brings you here, Buffer Sicheng and Lieutenant Yukhei?” Sojun asked without looking away from her charge and the insect. 

“Would it be alright if I borrowed Yangyang for a little bit?” Sicheng replied. Yangyang looked away with a huge grin on his face at the hope of being saved, causing the cicada to open its wings and take flight. 

Sojung sighed, exasperated. “ _ Six legs and more, follow my calls. _ ” The cicada came down, landing neatly into Sojung’s palm. With the other hand, she pulled out a jar and the cicada flew down into it. Placing a lid with holes poked into it for air onto the jar, Sojung turned to Sicheng. 

“I’m sorry, Buffer Sicheng, but Yangyang really needs to master this spell. I can’t afford to let him go right now.” Sojung told Sicheng, and he could feel himself become a little dejected. 

“But Sicheng said that he and Ten need to tell us something. If Ten is helping out, then it has to be really bad, right?” Yukhei piped in. 

Sojung turned to Yukhei and gave him an acknowledging nod. “Where is Ten right now?” She asked Sicheng. 

“He’s talking to Admiral Hyuna to arrange for her to call a public meeting so that we can announce the information publicly. He asked me to collect the New members while he does that.” Sicheng said. Sojung looked thoughtfully at the cicada, which was running around in circles at the bottom of the jar, as if she expected it to give her the answers. She then looked up at Sicheng, trying to stare him straight in the eyes as her own turned hazel. Sicheng turned away before she could get any information.

“Please, Create, just trust me.” Sicheng begged while doing his best to avoid Sojung’s eyes. 

After a moment, she sighed. “Go ahead.” Yangyang cheered, and Sojung sent him a stern look that shut him up immediately. “You better work on that spell, Yangyang. You have to master it before we can move on from insect magic to mammalian.” Yangyang nodded and bowed to the Create. 

“I will, Create. Thank you so much!” Yangyang’s smile was back and wider than before. 

“Thank you, Create Sojung. I’ll make sure to return him if Ten doesn’t succeed.” Sicheng told Sojung, who waved him off. 

“Don’t worry about it. You need to tell them. If it makes it easier, I can teleport you to the nursery clinic.” Sojung offered, and Sicheng brightened. 

“That would be great, thank you so much, Create.” Sicheng bowed to show his gratitude. “If it isn’t too much trouble, could you also take Yangyang and Yukhei to the cafeteria?”

Sojung smiled and let out a content huff. “That’s no problem, and you’re welcome. I’ll see you three later.” Sojung said the teleportation spell, and within an instant, Sicheng was standing in front of pristine white doors that he hadn’t seen for years. Yangyang and Yukhei were no longer standing next to him. At the sides of the doors stood Minjae and Junhyuk, who, although they were young, were quickly becoming extremely skilled in their magic thanks to the guidance of Wonwoo. Sicheng hadn’t really talked to either of them before, though. 

“I’m sorry, but you can’t go in right now.” Minjae said. “They’re in the middle of disinfection right now.” 

“How long will that take?” Sicheng asked. At the back of his mind, he wondered if these two even knew who he was. 

“With Doctor Taeil helping, five minutes at the most.” Minjae replied. 

“Everyone is healed already?” Sicheng asked incredulously. He knew that Taeil was a fast worker, but healing Octanis from multiple people in less than a day was insane, even if they were just children. 

“Yes. The infected were all some of the older children, so the doctor did not need to do much.” Minjae told him, and Junhyuk just stood silent in the way he always did, even when Sicheng still lived in the nursery. 

“Would it be okay if I just waited out here for him to come--” Sicheng couldn’t finish his sentence before the white doors opened, showing Taeil and a handful of teenagers. 

“Don’t forget to rest, you guys.” Taeil said to them, earning fond smiles from each of them. 

“We will, Doctor Taeil!” They said in unison before darting off, each in their own direction except for one who Sicheng recognized as Nam Seungmin, who went by the nickname ‘Bic’ due to his name similarity with one of the boys in Woojin’s unit. 

“Hi, Sicheng! What're you doing here?” Bic asked, smiling at Minjae and Junhyuk. 

“I came here to get Taeil for a meeting.” Sicheng replied. Taeil walked up to Sicheng, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. 

“I didn't hear anything about a meeting from Admiral Hyuna. What's this about?”

“You'll find out.” Sicheng said ominously, and Taeil’s brow went even higher, but he didn't ask any more questions, thankfully. Sicheng's mind was already preoccupied enough with how he was going to break the truth not only about Jaemin, but about himself as well. What would Xiaojun think of him? What would all of New think of him? Would Yuta praise him for being brave, for taking responsibility for his actions even though he knew the consequences? Would he even get a chance to see Yuta again, or would he be killed on the spot without getting the chance to explain himself? Would Hyuna admit publicly that she was the one who sent him in the first place?

Taeil’s hand was placed gently on Sicheng's shoulder. “We'll get going now, Bic, Minjae, Junhyuk. Stay healthy, boys, and tell Huijin I said hello.” Taeil told the trio.

“Will do.” Bic replied, and the three waved to Taeil and Sicheng before Taeil teleported them back to the military building. 

“Where are we headed?” Taeil asked. 

“Cafeteria.” Sicheng replied, and the two started walking. 

“So,” Taeil started, “what’s this about? Cause I can tell that something is worrying you.” 

“You’ll find out.” Sicheng said again, and Taeil sighed.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the cafeteria, where the rest of New was already assembled, even Ten, who was telling everyone to ‘wait for Sicheng and Taeil to get here’. He sounded like a broken record, constantly repeating his words because some of the members kept asking why they were there. Ten’s eyes lit up when he saw Sicheng come in with Taeil. 

“Sicheng! Oh, thank god.” Ten sighed in relief as he ran up to Sicheng. “Admiral Hyuna approved the meeting, but she said it won’t happen immediately. She also said that it was okay if we tell New, as long as they don’t tell everyone else.” Ten said, and Taeil walked away to the rest of New. 

“So we have to tell them right now?” Sicheng asked, and Ten nodded. “Oh, boy.” Sicheng fidgeted with his hands. “Could you be the one to tell them?” Sicheng said as he glanced around the cafeteria. Wonwoo and Mingyu had left, thankfully. 

Ten smirked, although it seemed to be more melancholic than confident, as Ten’s smirks usually were. “I was already planning on it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm kind of making the Dreamies the main characters, and Sicheng isn't a dreamie, but I wanted to put his pov...  
> Stan MCND for clear skin  
> Stay healthy!


	9. revealing the truth

“I’ll keep this as short as I can. Please leave all questions until the end.” Ten said after everyone was seated. He and Sicheng stood at the head of the table, neither wanting to sit down. Everyone said an ‘okay’, and Renjun wondered what exactly they had found out in the few minutes that they had been separated. 

“So, Sicheng, Xiaojun, Renjun, and I went to Kima today.” Everyone mumbled in acknowledgement. “And we went to White Night so Sicheng didn’t have to be burdened with keeping track of everyone in the crowds. While in there, we met some Foralu, who also happened to be DAMR ranked.” This stirred up a few stray comments from the members, and a lot of confused faces. Renjun remembered that part. He remembered Jisung. 

“One of them, his name was Yuta, said he recognized me from when he went to help clean up Squadron 95. He tried to kill me because he thought you were dead, Johnny boy. He said something about you being his best friend and someone’s lover. What did he call him, Sicheng?” Ten turned to the medic. 

“Tyongie?” Sicheng replied, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Johnny hummed. 

“I know them. They were both my best friends, and Tyongie’s real name is Taeyong. We kind of had a thing back then. Well, as much of a thing as eleven-year-olds can have.” Johnny confessed, and everyone nodded, knowing that Johnny did have a bit of a wild life back then. 

“Right, well, you’d never guess who was there to stop Yuta from killing me.” Ten said sarcastically, but Renjun figured that he was the only one who knew exactly who it was. 

“Jisung.” Renjun said. At everyone’s confused stares, he quickly clarified. “The Klare Leu. The  _ savior of the world. _ ” He said the last part with his voice dripping in mockery. 

“You know him, Renjun?” Sicheng asked.

“Yeah. Met him like twice before today. Didn’t like him at all. He’s weak, he’s young, he isn’t fit for the role that he has.” Renjun scoffed. “Anyways, sorry for interrupting. Please continue.” 

Ten shook his head to get the surprise off of his face and kept talking. “Yeah, so Jisung stopped Yuta from going too far. And then, he asks if I’m ‘Ruin Ten’, which is weird enough, because the DAMR uses a different ranking system than ours. But not only did he know my rank, he knew my name and probably my appearance considering that he even asked that in the first place. I ask him how he knows, and he says a friend of a friend. And after that, he tells Yuta to pay attention. He says that Johnny is still alive, which is information that no Foralu should have. We asked him how he knew that, and he said the same thing. A friend of a friend. I’m getting pretty fed up at this kid by this point, so I look into his mind to find the answers.

“Renjun,” Renjun had been staring at the table during Ten’s entire explanation, and when Ten addressed him, he snapped his head back up towards the Ruin. “No, not just Renjun. Everyone. There’s no easy way to put this, and I’m sorry for what I’m going to say. But it’s the truth.”  _ Well, that sounded ominous. _

Ten took a deep breath, and Sicheng patted his back to comfort the elder. Ten gave him a weak smile before looking back at everyone else. With a steely look in his eyes and a trembling lip, Ten said six words. “Na Jaemin is a filthy traitor.”

And Renjun’s blood ran cold.

He didn’t know enough words to describe the pain that erupted in his chest before his vision darkened. Stabbing his thigh with his nails, he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep himself awake. 

Around Renjun, freakish silence had taken over. Even Yangyang and Lucas didn’t say a word. Ten was staring at the ground, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes from the horrible truth he was forced to say about someone who had basically been his little brother. Sicheng rubbed the Ruin’s shoulder. A choked laugh came from Yangyang, on the line between mocking and heartbroken, and Taeil quickly pulled the younger into a hug as tears started to fall. 

“Please, Ten, could you elaborate on that?” Renjun had never seen such apathy on Johnny’s face or in his voice. It was terrifying to have Johnny-- playful, caring Johnny-- lose all emotion, especially when he had just been laughing with Xiaojun, Yukhei, Yangyang, and Renjun a few minutes ago. 

Ten was silent, trembling and eyes frozen to the ground, and Sicheng pushed him into a seat. “Apparently, when Ten looked into the moonchild’s mind, he found out that Jaemin has been hiding in the inner city of the capital, Soln, which is, according to our research, the most secure place in all of Vaela. I’m not sure how he got in there, but obviously, Jaemin leaked information about us to them.” So Jaemin really  _ did  _ leave Renjun for Jeno. It was amazing how Jaemin just threw twenty years of friendship down the drain for someone that he had just met, but Renjun knew he was just being selfish. Jaemin deserved better than Renjun.

But that still was no damn excuse for what he did. While part of Renjun was miserable at losing his best friend, the large majority was telling him to leave Jaemin in a cell to rot. Renjun could let Jaemin picking someone else to pass, but betraying his home? It hadn’t even been a full week since Jaemin had left. He had no way of knowing whether Jisung or Jeno would betray him or not. And now, who knew how much information the rats had to use against Mirit? They could all be dead by the end of the week. 

No one said anything else after that for a few minutes, leaving Renjun to drown in anger. Anger towards himself for not being able to keep Jaemin inside Mirit, anger towards Jaemin for leaving in the first place, anger towards Jisung prying into something that he had no place in. He never thought that he would ever be so furious at Jaemin. They had gotten into arguments before, but they were over trivial things. This was a matter of the safety of almost five thousand people. Jaemin had no right to go and tell some stranger about them. 

Renjun only looked away from the table when he heard the clicking of boots on the cafeteria floor. He instantly recognized Hyuna from her bright orange hair and bright red lipstick, and the only thing that stopped all of New from standing up and bowing was her hand motioning for them to sit. 

“I suppose that you’ve told them already?” Hyuna asked Sicheng, who nodded. She turned to face the rest of the table. “For now, please don’t talk about this. Tonight, I’ll be meeting with the Room and discussing our course of action from here. We’ll have to find out exactly how much Jaemin told them before we decide his punishment, should he come back to Mirit. But until I make an official announcement, you all are not allowed to mention him.” 

Hyuna looked at Sicheng again. “Do they know?” Sicheng’s eyes were filled with guilt as he shook his head. What else could Sicheng possibly have to tell them? If he hadn’t told them already, was it worse than what Jaemin had done? It couldn’t possibly be if Hyuna already knew about it, right? Sicheng would never betray them like Jaemin. Right?

Hyuna sighed as Sicheng glued his eyes to his feet, messing with his fingers anxiously. “Do you want me to tell them?” Sicheng’s silence was answer enough, and Hyuna patted his shoulders to try and comfort him. “You’ll be okay, kid. They’ll understand.”

“What’s going on, Admiral?” Johnny spoke up, his dark brown eyes void of any feeling. He looked like he had aged twenty years in a few minutes. 

“I’m the bringer of bad news, as always, I suppose. Sicheng, you can sit down if you want.” Sicheng shook his head, and Hyuna sighed again. “I’ll tell you guys everything. You deserve to know it. About ten years ago, I met Sicheng in the nursery. He had gotten into some trouble with the authorities again. Maybe you guys knew him back then, maybe you didn’t. But he always was getting into trouble, and I was brought in to help discipline him before he was let out of the nursery. Before I got to the holding facility, I met a child on the streets. He begged me for money, for any food I had. He spoke of an abusive home, from which he had run away and he had no friends to rely on. 

“Just as I was about to give him what I had, Officer Jinyoung came running. I still remember his exact words. ‘This boy is a filthy liar, Admiral. Don’t give him anything’, Jinyoung said as he grabbed this boy’s ear and dragged him off to the holding facility. I found out later that Sicheng’s parents were Kris and Feifei, whose names I’m sure you guys have heard before.” All of New nodded in acknowledgement. Kris was a renowned military hero, who sacrificed his life during the Battle of Salin. Feifei opened a beauty store with her unit upon retiring, two months after Kris died and while she had been three months pregnant with Sicheng. Renjun knew that much. “His silver spoon rubbed off on his tongue. The police force knew him for the elaborate lies that he told to get himself out of everything he got into.” Renjun knew that neither Sicheng nor Xiaojun talked much about their home or their lineage, and he didn’t know them that well when they were in the nursery either. But Renjun couldn’t figure out how this story was relevant to anything. 

“After that, I gave him express permission to live outside of the nursery, Xiaojun included. They lived together in General Residence until Sicheng came of age, and they both moved to the army section. When that happened, I gave Sicheng a job.” What job? If Hyuna was going to tell them something about Sicheng, Renjun wished that she would hurry up. 

“When I took over as Admiral, six years before Sicheng turned sixteen , a woman came to me. She told me that her name was Boa, that she was the general of the Foralu, and that she had a proposition for me. That she would do her best to keep the Foralu from killing us, so long as we give her and her council some information about ourselves and the state of our internal affairs. After weeks of discussion with the Room, I went back to Boa and told her that we would accept her offer. For six years, every month, I sent Hyojong to speak with their council. I told him to never tell them the full truth, and he struggled by himself for so long because he hated lying or twisting the truth.

“But when I met Sicheng, that all changed. Sicheng was someone who didn’t mind lying, who was  _ good  _ at it. He wasn’t like Ten, who just lied. Sicheng twisted the truth so believably that for the whole first year I knew him, I believed that he had a little sister who still lived in the nursery. It wasn’t until I got close with Xiaojun that I realized that they had a little sister who died when she was three. 

“And the job that Sicheng has kept a secret for the past nine years is that he’s been going to meet with a DAMR ranked every month and giving them information. None of it is completely true, but he is an informant of the Foralu.” Hyuna finished. Honestly, Renjun couldn’t find it in himself to be mad, to feel betrayed that Sicheng had never told them. He was just tired. Tired of being lied to, and just physically and emotionally exhausted. To think that he thought today would be a good day. 

Everyone around Renjun was silent like before, except Sicheng, who mumbled a soft ‘I’m sorry’. Renjun was sure that no one was holding anything against the medic. Hyuna had told him to go in the first place. And he wasn’t giving them true information, unlike Jaemin. 

“I guess, the main reason I came here was to make sure that all of you understood the complete context for Sicheng’s actions, because knowing him, he would place all the blame on himself and leave out the part where I told him to leak information. Although I can’t say anything for Jaemin, Sicheng has done nothing wrong, and I wanted to tell you guys to not judge him.” Hyuna said.

“Thank you, for telling us, Admiral.” Taeil said, barely looking at Hyuna as he wiped away the last remnants of Yangyang’s short crying session. 

“It was no problem. Please, all of you, I know that many things are beginning to change, but take care of yourselves while you still can.” Hyuna replied. And then she left, leaving ten damaged hearts behind. 

“Sicheng?” Taeil was the only one in the room who had his thoughts together-- for the most part anyway. Even Jaehyun seemed to be processing everything that Hyuna and Sicheng had told him. 

“I’m sorry, I was going to tell you guys, but I thought that you would be mad at me for even talking to any of the Foralu, much less giving them information and that you guys would hate me because they hurt us so much back then and here I am, telling them whatever they want me to, and I’m so sorry for hiding this from you, and I wasn’t even the one who told you because I was too scared of what you were going to think of me and I thought you were going to hate me, and I had to make Admiral Hyuna do it for me because I’m a  _ coward _ , and--” Renjun hadn’t even noticed Xiaojun getting up until Sicheng stopped babbling, thanks to Xiaojun giving him a tight hug. 

“ _ Ge, don’t you dare blame this on yourself. There’s no reason to blame anyone. You did as you were told to, and you didn’t even tell them the truth. Why would we be mad? _ ” Xiaojun said in Ystellic, so quietly that Renjun could barely hear it. 

“Sicheng, none of this is your fault. We never would hate you for something like this. You did what Admiral Hyuna told you to do and you probably saved all of Mirit because of it.” Ten said, having collected himself. 

“But, I didn’t tell any of you for years.” Sicheng mumbled from Xiaojun’s shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Renjun saw Jaehyun turn to Johnny for translation. Johnny repeated it and Jaehyun nodded.

“Who cares? You’re safe and we’re safe, right? Why should it matter whether you told us or not?” Jaehyun said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. “ The way I see it, it was your secret to keep. If you didn’t tell us, we have no right to get mad.” At his words, everyone around the table snapped out of their stupors and nodded in agreement. 

Sicheng looked up from Xiaojun’s shoulder with shaking eyes. “So none of you are mad?” Renjun shook his head, and he could tell that everyone around him was doing the same, with a few ‘no’s and ‘never’s being said as well. 

“We wouldn’t be mad at you for doing something that was asked of you.” Taeil smiled at the medic as comfortingly as he could. 

“I can’t believe I spent nine years worrying about how to tell you guys.” Sicheng scoffed to himself. 

“Well, to be fair, if we hadn’t just found out what happened with Jaemin and Admiral Hyuna hadn’t showed up to explain everything, things might’ve turned out a little different. We all know that you tend to leave out the details that shift the blame from yourself.” Renjun couldn’t deny the truth in Yukhei’s words, but it was still a little jarring to hear how the elder said it with no hesitation. 

“Yeah… But out of curiosity, Renjun,” Renjun looked over to Taeil. “You said that you met this ‘Jisung’ person. The Klare Leu? Would you like to explain more about how that happened?” 

“Yeah, I have nothing to hide. A week before Jaehyun’s birthday, Jaemin and I went out on the mountains to look around the area that the drill is supposed to come out. We saw this group of people while we were out there. Five of them. Mark, Jeno, two others that Johnny probably remembers, and Jisung. I asked them what they were doing there, and Mark says that it’s confidential. Jaemin asks again, and Jeno shuts up Mark before he can say anything stupid again. He tells Jaemin that Mark is smart enough to not waste his time with us, and of course, Jaemin decides to try and make friends with them. I end up having to drag him back. 

“The second time I met him was on Jaehyun’s birthday. He was alone that time. He spouted some bull about wanting to know me better. Before I can do anything to hurt the kid, since we  _ do  _ have orders to kill on sight, Jaemin and that Jeno kid show up together. Then he disappears that same night.” Renjun replied. 

“Well, Jaemin went to the capital so that he could tell Jisung whatever he wanted to know.” Ten told the table, and Renjun furrowed his eyebrows. Why would Jaemin do that? He had just met them, and he already decided that he could tell them whatever they wanted? Usually, Jaemin was a little more cautious about spreading information. 

Apparently, Yangyang had the same thought train as Renjun, but unlike Renjun, he actually voiced his. “Why? There’s no good reason for Jaemin to go around telling the Foralu this kind of stuff. At least with Sicheng, he’s doing it to save us. But Jaemin, what’s that idiot doing…”

“You guys know how the Klare Leu is supposed to ‘cleanse the world’?” Ten said the last part mockingly as he made air quotes. “Apparently, Jisung wanted to know if we’re something that he needed to ‘cleanse’, and Jaemin decided to tell him about us so that Jisung would know not to get rid of us. I guess Jaemin had good intentions, but it doesn’t change the fact that he disappeared without a word, hid in the heart of the enemy, and gave them information that could easily be passed to their Council. If they have what Jaemin told them, then everything that Sicheng has been doing goes to waste.” 

“But it’s not like we can stop him from doing anything else. We can’t even get into the capital--” Taeil cut himself off before turning to look at Johnny and Sicheng. Xiaojun had moved to sit next to Sicheng, making it easier for his brother to see. Johnny seemed to understand Taeil’s eyes, his own a little hopeful, but Sicheng tilted his head curiously. 

“No, it can’t happen.” Jaehyun understood the look as well, but he shook his head. “Even if they get permission from the Room and from Admiral Hyuna, there’s no way. Sicheng might be able to get in, but how would he get Jaemin out? And Johnny is probably out of the question. They all think he’s dead.”

“Not all of them.” Taeil mused. “Obviously, Jisung knows. This Yuta person knows, and he claimed to be Johnny’s best friend. If Jaemin was able to get in using his connections to Jeno, then surely Johnny will be able to get in using Yuta, correct?” He raised an eyebrow at Johnny, who hummed. 

“It’s definitely possible, but like Jaehyun said, we won’t be able to get permission to go. And this,” Johnny tapped the sun on his neck. “they’ll be able to recognize it, right, Sicheng?” Sicheng nodded. 

“Then we can cover it up.” Yukhei said. “We can go to Suzy’s place and ask her to do it. Isn’t that what you do sometimes, Ten?” Ten nodded. 

“But for the third time, we won’t be able to go. The Room and Admiral Hyuna would never let us do something like this. She literally told us to not do anything, to let her and the Room decide their course of action. I don’t think they’ll need our opinion on what to do.” Sicheng shook his head, sighing. “And, I hate to say it, but Jaemin might not want to come back. He left for a reason, right?” 

Silence enveloped the table at Sicheng’s words. He was right, wasn’t he? Jaemin wouldn’t have left if he wanted to stay. 

But Renjun shook that thought away. “Why does it matter what he wants? Right now, he’s a threat to the safety of Mirit. If we just let him do whatever, then the rest of us will be in danger if Jisung decides to tell their council the truth.” As precious as Jaemin had been to Renjun, the opinion of a traitor didn’t matter when weighing it against the life that they had built for themselves in Mirit. If Jaemin kept running his mouth, the Foralu could find out that they were mere days away from breaking out of the mountains. That couldn’t happen. 

“It would never hurt to at least bring it up to them.” Taeil said gently, and Yukhei nodded. “There’s always a chance. Unless of course, you guys don’t want to go. In that case, I’ll drop this subject, and I won’t bring it up ever again.” 

“No. Renjun’s right. We can’t let him continue to be a liability. I’ll do it.” Sicheng turned to Johnny, a questioning look in his eyes. Johnny nodded. 

“I’ll do it too.” 

“Oh, Ten,” The Ruin looked at Sicheng when the medic said his name. “You told Yuta that you could arrange for him and Johnny to meet, right?” Ten nodded, skeptical on where this was going, and Renjun almost laughed. Of course Ten did something like that. 

“So, when they could meet, maybe he could take Johnny in? I know him pretty well. If we just explain it to him, then he’ll probably do it.” Sicheng suggested. 

“But how are you going to track him down? It’s not like you have some way to communicate with him.” Jaehyun asked. 

“I do, actually. I could contact him and ask him to meet us somewhere, and we can go from there.” Sicheng replied. It looked like Ten was going to say something, but when Sicheng spoke up, he stayed silent. 

Xiaojun rubbed his temples. “You guys are planning for this like it’s going to happen. It’s more likely for the Room to reject the idea than accept it. You guys have seen the way they work. If we’re not in immediate danger, then they won’t care until it’s too late to fix things.” 

“Have a little hope, Xiaojunnie.” Taeil told Xiaojun, and the younger scoffed. “You never know for sure. It won’t hurt to plan a little just in case they do give us permission.” 

“I just don’t want you guys to get hurt or in trouble for something that Jaemin did. And even if it all goes according to plan, will you bring him back as a prisoner or as one of our best friends? If you really think about it, Jaemin is just trying to save our asses in his own special way. We all know the power that the Klare Leu is rumored to have. Jaemin did what he did because he thought that it could save us all from being wiped out. Even if his methods are a little unorthodox, who are we to judge? Sicheng is doing the same thing as he is. And Jisung is young. Even if he does tell their council what Jaemin told him, it’s likely that they won’t believe him. Won’t they be more likely to believe Sicheng, who has been working with them for years, over a sheltered kid? Don’t take this as me defending him, but if we know why he’s doing it, shouldn’t we think about it a little more before we write him off as a traitor? He’s just doing what he thinks is best for us.” 

“It doesn’t matter. He isn’t thinking anything through. We just have to make him stop talking.” Renjun said. Honestly, if Jaemin had only left to be with Jeno, Renjun wouldn’t have cared much. He’d be a little sad, but that’s it. But when Jaemin put the rest of them in danger, something had to be done. It didn’t matter what his reasoning was. He was a danger to Mirit. 

“Sorry, Xiaojun. But we have to do anything to stop what he’s doing, because this goes beyond our personal feelings.” Taeil told the younger, an apologetic look on his face. 

“I’m outvoted anyway,” Xiaojun raised his hands in surrender. “I’m just saying my thoughts.” 

“And it’s definitely appreciated. I understand where you’re coming from, but with the resources that we have, we can do something for the safety of Mirit that isn’t shady.” Ten said. Xiaojun sighed with a weak, forced smile. 

“Now that that’s settled, should I go ask the admiral about it?” Sicheng asked, to which Johnny raised an eyebrow.

“Would she get annoyed with us bothering her so much in one day?” Johnny asked in response, and Renjun silently agreed with the elder. It would the fourth time that they had seen her all day, from Sicheng asking if Renjun could go to Kima, Ten asking for a meeting, and her showing up just a few minutes ago. 

“No, she’s free for the most part today. It shouldn’t be a problem.” Sicheng shook his head. “Or, Taeil, you’re part of the House, and they’ll most likely call a full meeting since this involves the safety of everyone. Maybe you should be the one to ask?” Renjun had forgotten that Taeil was part of the House, honestly. 

The House was a group that consisted of Mirit’s leaders, including the Room, Hyuna, Sunmi, Chungha, Taeil, Sojung, and Wonwoo. It also included Chiefs of Police Jaebeom and Jihyo, General Doctors Namjoon, Yongsun, and Jisoo, and Fire Chief Jinwoo. There were also the therapists-- Psychotherapist Head Jonghyun and Physiotherapist Head Yeji-- and the head of the correctional officers, St. Van. Last but not least, there was the head of nursery education, Superintendent Eric. It felt like it had been years since all twenty-four had been assembled. 

“Yeah, I can do that. I’ll just wait for her to call it officially.” Taeil nodded. 

“Great. Let’s just see where it goes from there then.” Sicheng said finally, and while everyone hummed in agreement, Renjun wondered if Johnny would choose them over the Foralu. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ay we ballin...  
> I can't remember anything else about Punch other than Jungwoo's g o d visuals everyone please worship our lord and savior Kim Jungwoo


	10. only want friends

Contrary to popular belief within the DAMR, Chenle never hated his parents. Not when they treated him like a monster when he had caught Octanis, not when they brought him to Soln and left him in a city that he couldn’t speak the language of. Granted, when that happened, he had been three and too young to even understand the concept of hate. But even as he grew older, Chenle never hated them. The family that had taken him in had told him to never hate anyone. It was a waste of time to dwell on the past. So Chenle never did. 

The foster family that had taken him in treated him well for the most part. But Chenle was lonely. Even Somin and Jiwoo, their youngest two, were five years older than him. Everyone treated him too much like a baby, and not a friend. But still, Chenle guessed that it was better than being on the streets, dying. 

When Chenle was five, he was brought to a lab right outside of the inner city. He remembered meeting a woman who said that her name was Chorong, and she was going to be running some tests on him. He had later asked another woman, Bomi, what the tests were for, and Bomi had told him that since Chenle had recovered from Octanis without any medicine, they were trying to see what was different between Chenle’s body and that of other people. 

This went on for a year. He became good friends with the women who ran his tests, if you could call it friendship. There was another boy there, Beomgyu, but Chenle hadn’t really gotten the chance to get close with him. While Chenle came in for his tests in the morning, Beomgyu came in the late evening or even at night. They talked whenever they saw each other, but Beomgyu was always taking on odd jobs around the city to support his family in Kima. 

Then, a new woman started coming. She didn’t help with the tests. She just sat with Chorong and the others and talked. After a week, she was gone. But another week passed, and she was back, this time with a little boy who looked Chenle’s age. Chorong introduced the boy as Jisung and the woman as General Boa, who ran the DAMR. When Chenle asked why they were here, Chorong simply said that they were adding another variable to the experiment. It didn’t make much sense to Chenle, but he just shrugged and went along with it. It never hurt to have another person with him. 

But Jisung was timid. He shied away from any physical contact, and when Chenle tried talking to him, his replies were so quiet that Chenle had to ask him to repeat it a million times before he could understand. For a little bit, Chenle wondered if he could even make friends with Jisung, until the worst part of the testing started. Quarantine. And while Chenle knew the routine like the back of his hand, Jisung was new to everything. 

The second night in quarantine, Chenle could hear Jisung crying through the walls. He crawled to their wall and knocked twice. Jisung’s sniffling stopped for a second, and pressing his ear to the wall, Chenle could hear shuffling. Then his knocks were returned. A smile overtook Chenle’s face at the sound. 

He knew that everyone except for Naeun was gone by this hour and that Beomgyu was sleeping, so he tried talking, softly. “Can you hear me?” 

A second passed before Chenle got a reply. “Yes.” Then another moment passed. “I don’t know how you do this.”

Chenle chuckled. “You get used to it after a year.”

Chenle heard a gasp from Jisung’s side. “You’ve been doing this for a year? I’ve barely survived the past two days.”

“The second day is always the worst. It gets better.” Chenle promised. “And even if it doesn’t for you, I’ll be here until you get out.” 

“Thanks, Chenle.” 

“No problem, Jisung.”

***

For the next three days, they talked all day and at night until Jisung fell asleep. It settled into a very calm routine. But the morning of the sixth day, which was usually when the symptoms of Octanis started showing, Jisung didn’t reply to Chenle’s ‘good morning, Jisung!’. So Chenle tried again. But Jisung still didn’t answer.  _ This shouldn’t be happening. Even with bad symptoms, he should at least be awake. _

“Doctor Chorong!” Chenle yelled. The older woman came running, her hazmat suit barely on. _ She must’ve just gotten here.  _ Boa was right next to her. “Is Jisung okay?” There was a window next to the door, and when Chorong and Boa looked through, a gasp came from both of them. 

“Oh my god. Eunji! Go check on Beomgyu!” Chorong shouted, running back to the monitoring room, probably to check Jisung’s vitals. He could see Eunji, clad in her own hazmat suit, shooting out of the room to check the room across Jisung’s which had Beomgyu. 

“Physical symptoms are normal. Beomgyu, how are you feeling?” Eunji asked, and after a moment, the woman turned to Chorong. “He said nothing is different than before.” 

“What the hell? Is he okay? What’s going on?” Boa yelled at Chorong, following the doctor back. Chenle had never wished so badly that he could leave. 

“I’m not sure. We’ve never had a patient with symptoms like this. Perhaps, his biological composition is different than that of normal people because of his unusual birth, and the virus is reacting accordingly…” Chorong replied as Eunji caught up with them, and that was the last Chenle could hear of their conversation. He slowly moved away from his own window and slumped against their shared wall. 

“Jisung. Are you okay?” Chenle asked, even though he was fairly certain that the younger wasn’t awake, much less ‘okay’. Chenle squashed his ear against the wall, straining to hear anything, but all he could hear was Jisung’s heavy breaths— no, they were more like wheezes than breaths. What was Chorong talking about? What about Jisung’s birth was unusual? 

“Chenle?” Chenle heard Beomgyu ask from across the hall. He got up and went back to the window, seeing Beomgyu looking out from his own. “What’s going on?” Chenle could tell from the boy’s sleepy tone that he had been woken up from the commotion. 

“I don’t know. Something’s wrong with Jisung, but I can’t see anything.” Chenle replied, and Beomgyu looked away from Chenle to Jisung’s window. Beomgyu’s entire face went pale and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. He broke down into a coughing fit, his face disappearing from the window as he fell to the ground. 

“I-I don’t think you want to see.” Beomgyu said in a shaky voice.

“What? What’s wrong?” Chenle asked, suddenly even more worried than before. Beomgyu was no stranger to the testing, but whatever was wrong with Jisung was obviously horrifying. 

“Is he even alive?” Beomgyu’s voice was quieter now, but Chenle could still hear it. The other boy still hadn’t stood back up, and Chenle hated that he was the only one who couldn’t see. Even if it was as bad as Beomgyu said, he wanted to at least be able to understand why everyone was freaking out. 

Eunji came back in, this time with a tray of food, a cup of water, and a few pills. “Beomgyu, just do everything as normal. Chenle, Hayoung will be here in a minute. Just give her a second to put her suit on.” Eunji said as she opened the small food door that was built into the door. 

“What’s going on with Jisung?” Chenle asked. Maybe Eunji would give him an answer. 

“It’s nothing you need to be concerned with, Lele. Don’t worry, both of you. We’re taking care of it.” Eunji replied. Chenle deflated. He just wanted to know what was wrong with Jisung. Why was no one telling him? Was it that bad? Jisung had been fine just a few hours ago. 

Chenle heard shouting. Loud shouts, from someone who seemed like their voice was made to command people. He strained to hear what they were saying, but he couldn’t make out the words. Hayoung came in a minute later, holding a tray with Chenle’s breakfast and pills. 

“Hayoung, what’s wrong with Jisung?” Chenle asked again.  _ Please, someone tell me.  _

“Sorry, Lele, I can’t tell you. You know I would if I could, but Chorong said I can’t.” Hayoung shook her head and slipped the tray into Chenle’s room. 

“What’s the yelling about?” Chenle asked, taking the tray into his hands, and just as Hayoung was about to answer, Beomgyu’s coughs started up again. Chenle turned to the other boy’s room and realized that there was water spilling out from under the door. Hayoung whipped around and mumbled something to herself.

“Sorry, Lele. I have to help Beomgyu first.” Hayoung apologized, already on her way to Beomgyu’s door. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Chenle said, but he wasn’t sure if Hayoung heard him over the questions that she was firing at Beomgyu. Chenle couldn’t hear clearly over the screaming that was getting louder and louder by the second. It had gotten so loud that Chenle could clearly hear what they were saying. He recognized Chorong’s voice and assumed the other was Boa’s. 

“You have to give it to him, now! He could die, and then his blood will be on your hands, Chorong! You can’t possibly hope to keep it from him while he’s dying!” Boa yelled. 

“It’s not finished yet! And if the virus is affecting his body differently than Beomgyu, the treatment might work differently as well! If anything, the treatment could kill him just as easily as the virus could! I can’t give it to him!” Chorong shouted back. 

“I command you to give it to him! That is the  _ Klare Leu  _ in your quarantine, and he’s dying because of something that you put in his body!”

“You have no authority over me! This is a medical laboratory, and just because you command the DAMR doesn’t mean anything in here! The quarantine ends tomorrow morning, he can hold on until then. Any medicine other than the regular pills that we administer before the week ends could ruin the entire experiment! You knew the risks when you brought him here, Boa! You can’t possibly blame me for this!” 

“I didn’t think his body would react like this! He is literally  _ bleeding out of every pore in his body _ ! There is a split in his fucking  _ throat _ ! He is going to bleed to death, yet you’re not even going to give proper medical treatment! Finding the cure to Octanis can wait!” Chenle could feel a pang of familiarity when he heard how Boa described Jisung, but he couldn’t remember where he had heard those words before. He stumbled back to their wall and put a hand on it. Hayoung was busy with Beomgyu, the sudden stress making his symptoms worse. 

“Jisung?” Chenle whispered. He knew that Jisung would never be able to hear him. He could barely hear himself. “You can’t die. I finally made a friend. I would miss you. Boa would miss you too. Don’t die.” Chenle mumbled as a tear trickled down his cheek and fell onto the ground. 

The rooms weren’t trashy. They had just been renovated a few months ago, with steel doors and airtight windows, as well as extremely sturdy walls. Yet for some reason, the wall where Chenle’s hand was crumbled into dust, showing light from Jisung’s room. Chenle blinked, surprised. But almost immediately, he was pushing the wall harder until there was enough space for him to crawl into Jisung’s room. 

Chenle almost didn’t want to go see Jisung, especially after what Boa had said about his physical state. But he went anyway. He had to see Jisung. He had to let the younger know that he wasn’t alone while he was suffering. 

When he looked to his left, Chenle had to keep himself from throwing up. Jisung looked like he had been put through a shredder. Red dripped from every part of his body that wasn’t clothed, and it stained everything that was. And just as Boa had said, there was a horizontal split going around Jisung’s throat. But more than disgusted, Chenle felt relieved. Jisung was struggling to breathe, but he was still breathing.

Chenle crawled back over to his room, grabbed the water and pills and went to Jisung’s bedside. He didn’t know when Hayoung would be done tending to Beomgyu, so he had to make the most of the time he had. He used his shirt to wipe some of the blood away from Jisung’s mouth, and the touches made Jisung mumble something. 

“—hurt.” Chenle felt his eyes blow out when he heard Jisung speak, and the tears almost came back, but he wiped them away instantly. 

“Hey, Jisungie, you should drink some water and take these.” Chenle said softly to the younger, but Jisung didn’t open his eyes or his mouth. “Jisungie?” 

The split in Jisung’s throat started to ooze a yellow liquid, and Chenle finally remembered why the description had sounded so familiar. 

“Chenle, what are you doing? How did you get in there?” Because Chenle had been so focused on Jisung, he hadn’t noticed that the screaming had quieted. He turned around to see a terrified Hayoung, furious yet worried Boa, and distressed Chorong. 

“You need to get out of there, Lele.” Hayoung told him, but Chenle shook his head. “What do you mean, no? Lele, Jisung is very sick and if you get too close, you could get even sicker.” Chenle knew that was a lie. He hadn’t been sick since he was three, when he first got Octanis. No matter what the doctors put in his system, he never got sick. 

“I won’t get sick. And Jisung won’t get sick either.” Chenle smiled at the three women outside the door. 

“What do you mean, Chenle?” Boa asked cautiously. “Do you not see what’s going on right now?” 

“Matthew said this is how I looked when they first found me. And I haven’t been sick since, so isn’t the same thing happening to Jisungie?” Chenle replied, throwing the pills down. Jisung wouldn’t need them. 

“Hayoung?” Chorong turned to the younger woman, who nodded. 

“I remember, that’s what Taehyung told me when Chenle first came. I suppose I forgot about it. Sorry.” Chorong waved off Hayoung’s apology to stare at Jisung and Chenle. 

“Just get one of them back here. I need to ask them for more details. Get them here today.” Hayoung nodded and left. “Now, Lele, how did you get in there?”

“The wall fell.” Chenle said simply. It was what happened. There was nothing more to it. He gestured to the wall but tilted his head curiously when he saw that the hole had suddenly disappeared. As Chenle stared, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He immediately whipped around and saw Jisung’s eyes half open and pointing at the cup in Chenle’s hands. 

Chenle held the cup up to Jisung’s lips, but the younger took it from him and drank the entire thing in one go. If Chenle wasn’t so ecstatic to see Jisung awake, he would’ve been impressed. “I think we need more water, Doctor.” Chenle turned back to Chorong, who was watching the situation. She shook her head to snap out of her trance. 

“Of course. I’ll be right back. Boa, please don’t do anything stupid.” Chorong said to Boa, who scoffed. 

“I would never.” Chorong raised an eyebrow incredulously but didn’t say anything else, leaving to get the water for Jisung. 

Chenle was glad that Boa was more focused on the wall than him and Jisung. She seemed scary, her dark eyes trailing over the place in the wall that Chenle had entered through, even though there was no sign of it anymore. Chenle looked back at Jisung, who had fallen back asleep. 

A few more seconds passed before Boa spoke again. “Tell me, Chenle, have you ever heard of the Klare Leu?” 

“That’s what Jisungie is, right?” Boa nodded. “Somin mentioned it once, but none of my family believes that it’s real. They focus more on what’s in front of them, and that’s Octanis and war survivors.” God, Jiwoo would be shocked when Chenle told her about Jisung. She had always been the most opposed to the idea of a savior. 

“Do you think that it’s real?”

“Well, Jisungie is right in front of me, so it has to be real.” Chenle shrugged. Why would Boa suddenly ask about this?

“Other than how he came into the world, Jisung has never shown any qualities of being someone who was prophesied by the moon. Until just now. Have you ever had any run-ins with magic?”  _ What did Jisung do? Did he use magic? _

Chenle nodded. “Namjoo uses magic sometimes. So does Byeongkwan. Why?”

“Because Jisung just used magic, for the first time in his life. I think you might be the cause of that, Chenle. Did you call out for Jisung, try to speak to him through the wall?” Chenle nodded. “And did the wall collapse from where you were touching it?” Chenle nodded again. Oh, god, Jiwoo was going to have a heart attack when Chenle got back home. 

“Don’t go filling Lele’s head with fairytales, Boa. Jisung is only five. He can’t use magic, especially in the state that his body is in. Lele, come get the water.” Chorong said as she came back with a large pitcher filled with water. Chenle took it through the food door and refilled the cup. 

“Well, he had to get in there somehow. It’s not like he teleported.” Boa said. Chenle pressed the water to Jisung’s lips, and the younger opened them to take in the liquid. Chenle poured it in slowly, and sighed in relief when he saw Jisung swallowing it. 

“I don’t know what you get out of telling Lele this.” Chorong replied, and the two women’s voices faded as they left, Chenle promising to call if he needed anything else. 

When Jisung had finished the cup, his eyes opened, just a little bit. Chenle almost cried out of happiness when Jisung spoke. “Hi, Lele. Nice to see you.” 

He did cry when Jisung moved to link their hands together. Chenle didn’t care about the stickiness of Jisung’s hand, but he did care that Jisung was getting better rapidly. He spent the night in Jisung’s room, cuddling with the other boy. He didn’t even mind that Somin yelled at him practically all of the next day for getting his clothes and skin sticky with blood that wasn’t even his. 

***

Almost a year later, Chenle found out that with the help of Jisung’s blood samples, Chorong and her team had been able to create a semi-cure to Octanis. The same day that Chenle found that out, Boa had come to his house and asked if he wanted to move to the inner city and stay with Jisung. His family had urged him to go, and after promising to visit whenever he could, Chenle agreed. A week later, Chenle had moved to the inner city and it only took a month for him to get settled in. 

He quickly learned about the medics of the DAMR and what they did. A woman named Jinri taught Chenle everything she knew, and with her guidance, Chenle was able to become an official medic-in-training for the DAMR, all while being with Jisung. His best friend. 

***

When Jisung turned nine, things started getting a little weird. Chenle would feel random bursts of power coming from the younger. There were even times when Chenle had to kick Jisung out of the infirmary, and the lock on the door would be replaced with dust. He made sure that Jisung never found out about that, though. He told Boa about it, but she had told Chenle not to worry, so he didn’t. 

The night of Jisung’s tenth birthday, a boy appeared in Chenle’s dreams. He had never seen this boy before, nor had he heard this voice before, but he was there, talking to Chenle. And it felt oddly comfortable. What made it even better was that the boy spoke in Ystellic and taught Chenle the language of his parents. 

A year later, on Jisung’s eleventh birthday, the boy finally revealed more private things about himself. That his name was Ten, that he was turning seventeen in a few weeks, that he was a Ystellic magic that had found out that his specialty was dream magic and ended up in Chenle’s dreams. Fair enough, Chenle guessed. Magic must be hard to control. 

Ten showed up almost every night for the next seven years, and Chenle cherished every moment that they talked. The elder was so easygoing, so caring and sweet. Chenle had asked a few years ago if they were friends, and Ten had said ‘yes’ without hesitation. He never asked for Chenle to share anything private about his life, but always comforted Chenle when he was feeling down and always celebrated with Chenle when something good happened. Ten was the only reason that Chenle slept at all. 

The day after Jisung’s eighteenth birthday, Ten stopped coming. There was no explanation, no note left in Chenle’s dreams. He just vanished, and although Chenle was hurt, he supposed that Ten had his own life outside of Chenle’s dreams. Chenle didn’t dwell on it. He just kept doing as he had done before, although he slept significantly less, preferring to spend his free hours visiting Taehyung, Matthew, Somin, and Jiwoo. He even dropped by Chorong’s lab sometimes. 

On February 17th, Chenle went back to sleep, having accepted that Ten might come back. Yet when Chenle felt sleep overtake him, he was met with Ten’s familiar figure, although the catlike smile that the elder usually wore wasn’t there anymore. 

“ _ Ten-ge? What’s wrong? _ ” Chenle asked, about to approach the elder, but Ten shook his head. 

“ _ Sorry for not showing up for so long. Something came up. _ ” Ten apologized. 

“ _ It’s fine. Is everything okay? _ ” Chenle asked again, to which Ten sighed. 

“ _ There were some problems with the magics that I’m teaching, and when I thought I had fixed those, one of my friends who was like my little brother disappeared. We haven’t been able to find him for a few days. _ ” Ten explained. 

Chenle was worried for the elder, and thought of Taehyung’s living room so that Ten would have somewhere to sit down comfortably. The scenery showed up almost immediately, taking Ten by surprise. But he quickly got over it and sat down on one of the couches. 

“ _ Is there anything I can do to help? _ ” Chenle asked gently, taking a seat next to the elder. 

“ _ I’m coming to Soln tomorrow. Come see me. I’ll be around the edges of the city. _ ” Ten replied, grabbing one of Chenle’s hands. Ten’s eyes went white for a second before his irises came back. “ _ I have to go soon, Lele. _ ” 

“ _ Can I bring people? _ ”

“ _ One or two is okay, but not a lot. _

_ “How will I know where to meet you? _ ”

“ _ You’ll know. I have to leave now. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? _ ” Ten stood up, putting his pinkie out. Chenle took his own and locked them together. Then Ten disappeared, and Chenle wondered what Ten meant when he said that Chenle would know. This would be his first time seeing the elder in person, and in dreams, you could modify your appearance. What if Ten looked entirely different? And how would Chenle know?

But even though Ten hadn’t told him anything, Chenle still decided to go. He didn’t want to let down one of his most precious friends. 

***

“So, where are we headed?” Donghyuck asked as Chenle gave his ID to the guard at the gates of the inner city. 

“I’m not sure yet.” Chenle replied honestly. Ten hadn’t given him any more clues as to where he wanted to meet, so he decided to simply go with the flow. 

“You don’t even know where you’re going? I thought you said you wanted to check something out.” Donghyuck said incredulously as the guard gave Chenle’s ID back. 

Chenle shrugged. “I’m going to meet a friend, but he didn’t tell me where to meet him. He said that I’d know. So I’m just going to wander.” 

“And I had to come for what reason exactly?” To an outsider, Donghyuck would sound like a rude bitch, but Chenle knew that he was just joking around. 

“You were getting antsy, weren’t you?” Chenle replied, taking the lead. Donghyuck huffed behind him, but still followed the younger. “He said he’d be around the edges of the outer city, so that’s sort of where we’re headed.” Chenle didn’t turn around, but he assumed from Donghyuck’s silence that the elder had nodded. 

It didn’t take long for them to get to the very edges of the city, and from there, Chenle and Donghyuck walked along the houses that were built on Soln’s fringe, heading counter-clockwise. When Donghyuck asked why they were walking in that direction, Chenle just replied with ‘intuition’.

“So, how are things going with Mark?” Chenle asked out of the blue after a minute. Donghyuck spluttered and coughed, almost choking on air at Chenle’s sudden question. 

“What made you think there was anything going on?” Donghyuck replied after regaining his composure. Chenle just laughed at the elder. 

“The fact that you’ve been in love with him since I joined the DAMR, and maybe even longer.” Chenle stopped walking and smirked at Donghyuck, who gave Chenle the stink eye. 

After a few moments, Donghyuck sighed and continued walking. “Nothing has been  _ going on _ . We’re just the same as always. He’s not interested, and I’m trying to kick my feelings to the curb, especially with everything that’s been happening with Renjun and Jaemin. I need all my brainpower for that.” 

“What do you mean ‘he’s not interested’? That’s the biggest load of bull I’ve ever heard,” Chenle gasped, feeling offended for Mark’s sake. “You know what? I’m going to make you two stop dancing around each other by your birthday.  _ Mark  _ my words.” Chenle chuckled to himself at the pun, and Donghyuck just sighed again. 

“Lele, if you can make Mark like me back by my birthday, I will literally give you Jisung for yours.” Donghyuck said, too much seriousness in his voice for the sentence that he had just said. 

Chenle laughed at the promiser. “Mark already likes you. He’s just too stupid to notice that you like him back, and he doesn’t have the balls to confess. But what do you mean by ‘give me Jisung’? He’s already my best friend, what more could you give me?” 

Donghyuck snickered. “I think you should be more worried about your situation than mine, Lele. If you think that me and Mark are bad, you should look at yourself.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Jisung is my best friend. There’s no underlying feelings there, unlike with you and Mark.” Chenle denied, genuinely confused at how Donghyuck had gotten the idea. He wasn’t lying. Jisung was just his best friend. Chenle didn’t want romance. He wanted friends, and Jisung was the first one he could call that. He wasn’t in love with him like how Donghyuck was with Mark. At least, he was pretty sure that he didn’t have any feelings. 

“Yeah, yeah, okay. I don’t know about Mark liking me back, but you know what? If we’re going to get anyone together, it’s going to be Soonyoung and Seokmin, Yanan and Changgu, or Changbin and Felix.” Chenle nodded gravely. Those guys were far too dense for their own good. 

Conversation flowed easily between the two after that, and Chenle was grateful that he had begun talking. It would’ve been extremely awkward otherwise. They kept walking until they got to a part of Soln that Donghyuck shied away from. It was a place that Chenle had never been to or near, and he stayed behind with Donghyuck to check on the elder. 

“What’s wrong with this place?” Chenle asked. 

“There’s a magical energy that comes from here that I’m not sure I like. It’s really complicated, it’s like a mixture of two types... ” Donghyuck tapped his chin with his finger thoughtfully as Chenle took a few steps towards the group of houses, curious. 

Chenle noticed a warm orange light emanating from the center of the houses and wondered what was going on.  _ Bonfire _ ? Chenle guessed as he walked closer. 

“Wait, Chenle, don’t go there. It might be dangerous.” Donghyuck called, and Chenle turned back to the promiser, grinning. 

“What about this is dangerous? The friend said that I’d know where to find him, and I’m getting a feeling that I should go here.” Chenle shrugged as he started walking backwards. It wasn’t until a shiver went up his spine and something enveloped his body like water that Chenle realized that maybe Donghyuck was right. 

Chenle finished taking his step and realized that there was now a translucent blue wall between him and Donghyuck. Donghyuck’s eyes had blown out, his mouth moving but no words coming out. 

Right before Chenle was about to try and walk out, he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Surprised, he whipped around, taking a few steps back, but he sighed in relief when he saw who it was. 

“ _ Ten-ge! I found you! _ ” Chenle put a hand on his heart, which had sped up rapidly upon passing through the wall. 

“ _ I knew you would. Is that your friend out there? _ ” Ten jerked his head to Donghyuck, and Chenle nodded. “ _ Well, he better get in here before the door closes again. _ ” Chenle nodded and shoved his head through the wall, relieved when he found that he could pass through again and he wasn’t just throwing his head into a hard surface. 

“Donghyuck, it’s okay. Come in!” Chenle chirped at Donghyuck, who was still freaking out. 

“What the fuck, Chenle? Where is the rest of your body? What do you mean ‘come in’?” Donghyuck sputtered. Chenle sighed, stepped out of the dome entirely, grabbed Donghyuck’s wrist, and dragged him in. 

“Are you insane, Lele? What the hell?” Donghyuck yelled when he passed through the wall, but he shut up immediately when he saw Ten. “Hi. Sorry for intruding. Say sorry, Lele.” 

A small smile spread on Ten’s face. “No worries. Neither of you have to say sorry.”

“Donghyuck, this is my friend, Ten. Ten, this is Donghyuck.” Chenle introduced the two of them, and when Donghyuck bowed slightly, Ten chuckled at the younger. 

“You don’t have to be so formal. Any friend of Chenle’s is a friend of mine.” 

“Right. Sorry.” Donghyuck stood back up, scratching the back of his head nervously. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is this place?” 

“This is where my family stays during their visits. The forcefield is usually closed, but I had it opened so Chenle could get in.” Ten replied. 

“All the people are invisible from outside. Doesn’t that get suspicious?” Chenle asked the elder, who shook his head. 

“When the forcefield is closed, an outsider won’t be able to see anything. Not even the houses. Most people just avoid this area and walk around.” Ten explained. 

“Is your family here now? Sorry to take you away from them.” Chenle apologized, but Ten waved it off. 

“Only a few people are. You don’t have to worry about them. They’re like, the annoying relatives.” Ten shrugged, and a gust of wind suddenly blew. Chenle had never been affected much by the cold, but Donghyuck shivered. “Oh, sorry. I should bring you two to my place. Come on.” Ten beckoned for Chenle and Donghyuck to follow, so the two did. 

Donghyuck tugged on Chenle’s sleeve when Ten was a good distance ahead of them. “Chenle, have you ever met him before?”

Chenle shook his head. “No, this is my first time.” 

“Then how do you know him?” 

“He showed up in my dreams a few years ago, and we’ve been good friends since.” Donghyuck wrinkled his eyebrows, confusion spreading across his face. “Is something wrong?” 

“There’s something off about him. Magically, I mean. This entire place is off in that sense.” 

Chenle shrugged. “Maybe it’s because he’s Ystellic? The magic might be different there.” Chenle suggested, but Donghyuck shook his head.

“I’ve felt Ystellic magic all the time from Kun and Xuanyi. With this place, it’s like the techniques are different from all the regions.”

“How is magic even different? It’s all the same spells.” Chenle asked, and Donghyuck just sighed. 

“It’s whatever. Forget what I said.” Donghyuck said, rolling his eyes, and Chenle offered the elder a weak smile. 

“Donghyuck, you’re a magic, right? I can feel it coming off of you.” Ten asked from ahead of them. 

“Yeah. You are too?” Donghyuck said, and Ten nodded. 

“Oh,  _ ge, did you ever find your friend? _ ” Chenle asked, speaking in Ystellic before he could register the words coming out of his mouth. 

“No. I actually came here to help look for him.” Ten shook his head. 

“Look for who?” 

“A friend of mine went missing a few days ago.” Ten explained as they finally reached a house, and he opened the door. Chenle was hit with the smell of cinnamon, and took a deep breath, savoring the sweetness. “Please, both of you, make yourselves comfortable. Should I make some tea?” 

“Sure, if it isn’t too much trouble.” Donghyuck replied as Chenle flopped onto a couch that was covered in soft-looking tiger stuffed animals. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be right back, and then we can talk, okay?” Ten called over his shoulder as he headed to the kitchen. Chenle gave the elder a thumbs-up, and Donghyuck nodded politely. Ten smiled and disappeared to make the tea. 

Donghyuck took a seat, but kept shifting uncomfortably every few seconds. Finally, Chenle couldn’t take it. “What’s wrong?” 

“I told you. Something feels… off. I just can’t put my finger on it.” Donghyuck sighed, fidgeting with the silver ring that was hanging on a chain around his neck. He usually put it inside his shirt, hidden from everyone else, but now that it was out in the open, Chenle could see that there were markings on the surface. And even though Chenle had known the promiser for twelve years, he still had yet to learn why Donghyuck acted like he would die if he took it off. 

“Maybe it’s just because we’re in a forcefield right now?” Chenle suggested, and Donghyuck bit his lip, running his nails over the inscriptions. 

“Probably. Let’s hope that it’s just that.” Donghyuck replied. “How much do you even know about this guy? You said he just randomly showed up in your dreams? Can you even trust him?” 

“I trust Ten. He’s helped me through a lot, and if not for him, I might’ve died of sleep deprivation by now. You know how much I used to hate sleeping. Having him come only when I was asleep was great for me.” Chenle said, crinkling his eyebrows in frustration. There was a certain look in Donghyuck’s eyes that showed that he wasn’t telling Chenle everything. “What is it? I’m not a kid, Donghyuck. You can tell me whatever you want.” 

Donghyuck grumbled something under his breath as he slipped the ring over the tip of his pinkie. Then he said what was on his mind, “Dream magic lets the user look around in the mind of the person they’re visiting. He could know everything about you, and whatever you know about us, and you would never know unless he told you himself.”

Chenle raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t know much. There shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

“Yeah, but you know basically everything about Jisung, don’t you? The fact that there is a Klare Leu is public knowledge with all the various magics getting visions of it, but Jisung himself isn’t really something that most people know about. And Boa would like to keep it that way.” Donghyuck said, but Chenle shook his head. 

“I trust Ten. He’s not the type of person to invade my privacy.”

“The danger is, you never really know until it’s too late. I’m just saying that he could be very dangerous, especially if he spreads any information he gets from you to the public.” Donghyuck said, exasperated. 

“Well, it’s not really my fault I don’t know how to keep him out, is it? Even if I did know how, he became my friend before I  _ actually  _ made friends with the rest of you guys. I wouldn’t shut him out like that.” Chenle retorted. Even though he wanted to make friends with everyone in the DAMR when he first moved to the inner city, Jeno and Donghyuck had been stuck together, and everyone else was too intimidating for seven-year-old him to talk to. 

“Yeah, sorry. I’m just gonna stop talking then. I’m sure I’m just overreacting.” Donghyuck looked away uncomfortably, flipping the ring and its chain between his fingers. While Chenle did trust Donghyuck, he had been talking to Ten for longer. He had been friends with Ten longer. Even when a small voice in Chenle’s head reminded him that Donghyuck’s instincts were usually right, he brushed it aside when Ten came back into the room, holding a tray that had a teapot and three cups. 

“Is the place okay? Do you guys need anything else?” Ten asked, setting the tray down on the coffee table in the middle of the mess of couches and sofas. When both Chenle and Donghyuck shook their heads, Ten took a seat. 

“Alright, then. Let’s talk a little bit.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took a while to post. I ran out of fake happy pills and wanted to write something a little more happy, which led to the birth of Half Off. I'll try to get the next one up quicker! Also, make sure to check out always right there to learn more about Renjun and Jaemin!
> 
> Happy belated birthday to Junghoon, Choerry, Donghyuck, Jun, Jinsoul, and Taeil! And happy birthday to Hoshi and Yeosang! Stan 1Team, Seventeen, Ateez, and Loona, you won't regret it at all!
> 
> I don't want to be really serious, but if you don't support black rights, I have to ask you to leave this story right now. It's 2020, how ridiculous that some people are still judging others for the amount of melanin in their cells. We're all bags of flesh, why would you judge another person for the color of their skin?


	11. growing to trust

As soon as Donghyuck approached the neighborhood, he knew something was off. That feeling only got worse as he went into the forcefield and met Ten. Or what Chenle thought was Ten. Donghyuck had been able to tell immediately that he was using a bodily illusion spell, but he wasn’t experienced enough in that type of magic to tell where on his body the spell was active. As much as he wanted to drag Chenle out of there and back to the inner city, he just went along with the younger. Someone had to keep an eye on the kid and on this ‘Ten’ person. The fact that Chenle had met Ten in his dreams made Donghyuck even more suspicious of the Ystellic magic. Dream Visitation was definitely not a beginner spell. 

Ten looked around the room, his eyes hazel, which Donghyuck found strange, especially since the elder’s eyes had been brown when he went to make the tea. Donghyuck made eye contact with Ten, and when he did, he felt violated. Ten wasn’t doing anything except looking at him, yet Donghyuck felt like something important had just been taken from him. Ten then broke eye contact with him and turned to look at Chenle. He sat down, and after he blinked, his eyes were back to brown. Donghyuck rubbed his own to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. 

“Donghyuck, I’m sure you felt that the magic around here is different than usual. Well, I think it’ll do me some good to explain to you both what that’s really about. It’ll help me find my friend.” Ten said, settling himself into the back of the couch, a cup of tea in his hand. Donghyuck wanted to give Ten a dirty look, but he just took a deep breath, deciding that diplomacy was better than hostility, especially when he knew nothing about the magic sitting in front of him. 

“First thing’s first, let’s get rid of this.” Ten set his cup down on a small table next to the couch. Even though he mumbled his next few words, Donghyuck recognized it as the magic nullification spell. When Ten finished, Donghyuck finally saw where the bodily illusion spell had been active. On Ten’s neck, on the sun burnt into the skin. Donghyuck saw Chenle’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, still sitting down, but Donghyuck had already gone on the defensive, letting out a short yell of ‘Weak or strong, all shall—’. His strength manipulation spell was cut off by Ten shooting back ‘It’s over’, and Donghyuck cursed under his breath at the elder’s quickfire use of the magic nullifier. He was glad that the nullifier didn’t shoot, because if it did, Chenle would get caught in an explosion, and Donghyuck was not trying to get yelled at by Jisung and Boa. Not tonight. 

“Wait, I’m not looking to fight. Just listen for a bit.” Ten said, leisurely picking his teacup back up, as if Donghyuck hadn’t just tried to take him out. 

“Why should I have to listen to an  _ incrim _ ?” Their encounter with Renjun and Jaemin was still fresh in Donghyuck’s mind, and he couldn’t get Jaemin’s cheeky smile and Renjun’s terrified scowl out of his thoughts. 

“See, that’s why all of my people think so badly of you Foralu. You’re always trying to fight without even learning who we are as a person.” Ten sighed, and Chenle, who had gotten up at this point, put a hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder to calm him down. 

“Let’s just hear him out, okay? If it turns out to be bad, we can just leave, right, ge?” Chenle turned to Ten, who nodded. 

“The forcefield should let you out whenever you want to leave. Just, please. I really need to find my friend, and Chenle is the only person I know of who is familiar with the outside world.” Ten said. Donghyuck glared at the elder, before letting out a loud huff and flopping back onto the sofa.

“Fine. But if I hear something I don’t like, I’m taking Lele and going.” Donghyuck bit out, and Ten gave him a smile. 

“Thanks.” Ten told him, and then started. 

“Well, if you couldn’t already tell, I’m an incrim, although we actually call ourselves Monteo. Everything else is as I told Chenle. Our magic has a different feel, I guess, than Foralu magic, but the spells are the same.” Ten explained. 

“How can magic have a different feel? I thought it was all the same.” Chenle asked. 

“I’m not completely sure. It could be because our magic styles diverged after being separated for so long, but I don’t really know.” Ten replied. “And, no, not all magic is the same.” 

“Did you take any information from Chenle?” Donghyuck interrupted before Ten could say anything else. He had been suspicious before, and now that he knew Ten was an incrim, there were alarms going off in Donghyuck’s head. 

Ten sighed.  _ A sign of guilt _ . “Of course not. I wouldn’t invade his privacy like that.” But Donghyuck was still suspicious, even when Chenle gave him a look that said ‘I told you so’. There was no way that Ten would just admit that he did it. There was no way that he didn’t do it. He gave Ten the most incredulous look he could do, and Ten frowned. 

“I’m telling the truth. That goes against my morals.” Donghyuck almost spat ‘What morals, you’re an incrim’, but he remembered that he shouldn’t tell someone who could use Dream Visitation that. If he could use Dream Visitation, he could also use Pain Enhancement, and Chenle could be in danger. So Donghyuck bit his tongue. 

“I’m sorry if you don’t believe me, but it’s not really my problem. I asked Chenle to come so he could help me look for my friend, and if I’m lucky…” Ten drifted off, looking towards Chenle with hopeful eyes. 

“Donghyuck, stop being so mean to him. You don’t even know him that well.” Chenle reprimanded, and Donghyuck squished himself into the back of his seat and huffed, now growing tired of acting angrier than he actually was. “Yeah. I can help you, Ten-ge.” 

“Great. Thank you so much, Lele. Here’s a picture. It’s from a few months ago, so his hair is different. It’s like, orange now.” Ten pulled a piece of paper out from his coat pocket and showed it to Chenle. The medic-in-training’s eyes widened as he took a look at it. 

“Oh— I—” Chenle stuttered. “Ten-ge, can you show that to Donghyuck?” Ten looked confused but turned the picture to show Donghyuck. Donghyuck sat forward to see what Chenle was so surprised about.

“Donghyuck, that’s Jaemin, right?” Chenle asked.

Donghyuck recognized the thin lips and model-like smile instantly, even if the hair was bright pink. “Yeah, that’s him.” Donghyuck said wryly.

“You guys know him?” Ten asked, as he lay the picture down onto the coffee table. For some odd reason, he didn’t seem shocked or startled, like he knew that Donghyuck and Chenle had met Jaemin before.  _ He definitely looked into Chenle’s mind when he was dream visiting.  _

“Unfortunately. Can’t believe the ass has gone missing.” Donghyuck scoffed, leaning back. “Can’t say we’d know where to find him though.” 

Donghyuck saw Chenle’s eyes flit over to Ten’s neck, more specifically, the sun. “Yeah, Donghyuck’s right. We know him, but there’s no way we’d know where he’d be. He only really interacted with one person, but even they wouldn’t be able to find him.” Chenle said quietly. “Sorry, ge.”

“It’s alright. If it isn’t too much trouble, could you at least keep an eye out for him? Even you, Donghyuck? Please?” Ten pleaded, and Donghyuck hated the sincerity in the elder’s eyes that made him unable to say ‘no’. Donghyuck let out a huff and a ‘fine’, and Chenle nodded. 

“Thank you guys so much. I would introduce you to some of my own friends, but I don’t think they’d take too kindly to me interacting with Foralu. Sorry.” Ten sighed, looking dejected. Donghyuck wished he didn’t feel bad for the elder, especially with all the suspicious things he had done in the few minutes that Donghyuck had known him. 

“Don’t worry about it. But, Ten-ge, if you know Jaemin, that means you know Renjun too, right?” Chenle asked, and Donghyuck looked at Chenle curiously. Why was he interested in Renjun? 

Ten also looked a little confused. “Yeah, I know him. How many Monteo do you guys know?”

“It’s just Jaemin and Renjun.” Chenle shook his head. “I’m sure that Donghyuck would’ve liked to keep it that way.” 

Donghyuck sighed. “Yeah, but nothing we can do about that now. With all that’s been happening, I’m sure that I’ll just meet more and more of them.” Why was this happening? Jaemin and Renjun were already more incrims than Donghyuck needed in his life. 

“I promise they’re not bad people. I’m sure that Renjun was extremely hostile towards you guys, but he’s really one of the sweetest kids I’ve ever met. It’s all trauma. Get to know him a little, you’ll change your opinion of him real quick.” Ten said, a small smile on his face.

Donghyuck shook his head furiously. “Nope. I’m not gonna make friends with someone who’d rather kill me than breathe in my direction. Not happening. Hopefully, I never see him again.” Just remembering Renjun’s eyes, so ready to kill, so ready to shed blood, sent shivers up Donghyuck’s spine. The glare that Chenle sent Donghyuck, telling him to be polite, didn’t help matters any. 

Ten just laughed at Donghyuck’s defiance. “I’m sure he doesn’t want to see you guys either, but you never know. You guys might meet again, and you might like each other.” Donghyuck deadpanned at the elder and shook his head again. 

“Nah, nah. No offense.” Donghyuck quickly added the last part, in case Ten got angry, but Ten laughed again. 

“None taken. First impressions are everything. I understand.” Ten’s smile was pretty, Donghyuck noted. It was very comforting. “Anyways, do you guys have any other questions for me? I can answer some.” 

“Could we get some way to contact you other than Chenle’s dreams? Sorry, but I don’t really trust you in his head, but in case we  _ do  _ find Jaemin, we have to get you word as soon as we can.” Donghyuck asked, and Ten stared into space thoughtfully. 

“The only thing I can think of the Mind Link Spell, but I don’t have enough power. We’d need a Create for that.” When both Donghyuck and Chenle tilted their heads curiously at the strange name, Ten chuckled. “That’s what we call the highest rank for magic.” 

“I mean, a Mind Link would offer the same information you could get from Chenle’s dreams.” Donghyuck said apprehensively. 

“True, but if I ever tried to look into your memories, at least the Mind Link would alert you, unlike Dream Visitation.” Ten wasn't wrong, and Donghyuck would rather have the one of them linked than have Ten randomly pop up in their dreams. 

“So a Create is like our warlocks?” Chenle clapped and turned to Donghyuck, eyes bright. Although Donghyuck was reluctant to let Ten know anything about them, the elder wasn’t holding back any of his information, and it felt natural to share some of their own. So Donghyuck nodded.

“We’d need either a Create or a warlock here to cast Mind Link. Unless you have some other way?” Ten asked Donghyuck, and Donghyuck thought about his options while Chenle fired away another question.

“What’s the Mind Link spell?” Chenle asked. 

“The Mind Link spell is basically what it sounds like. It links two people’s minds together. Like if you and Donghyuck were linked, then you’d be able to tell what he’s thinking at all times, no matter how far away you two are. And all the information that’s stored in his brain is accessible to you at all times, and vice versa. But if you decided you wanted to know something and went through his memory archives, his mind would tell him, like a warning system.” Ten explained, and Chenle’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape as he understood the spell. 

“Is it super hard to use?” Chenle looked between Donghyuck and Ten repeatedly. “So hard that you and Donghyuck can’t use it?”

“It’s not  _ extremely  _ complicated, but it’s hard to do it correctly. You have to have complete control over your magic. Like if you used too much magic, you’d just have permanent, constant telepathy with everyone within a certain radius. It’d get really noisy, really quickly. But if you didn’t put enough power, there would be a distance limit, or you wouldn’t be able to communicate with each other properly.” Ten replied, and Chenle made a mildly disgusted face. 

“Sounds annoying.” 

Ten laughed again. “I bet it is. But I wouldn’t know. I don’t know anyone who has used it before.” 

Donghyuck zoned out of the conversation for a split second before he remembered. “Oh, Ten, I feel stupid for not thinking of this before,” Ten looked to Donghyuck, a questioning look on his face. “Do you already have really good control over your magic?”

Ten nodded. “Yeah, I have the most control out of all the Ruins. What are you thinking?”

“The Magic Enhancement spell.” Donghyuck replied simply. 

Ten’s shoulders dropped and his face changed to a disappointed deadpan. “Wow, we are really stupid for not thinking of that.” He chuckled bitterly, and Donghyuck joined him. 

“Well, we know now. Do you know the Mind Link spell?” Donghyuck asked. All of the warlocks had refused to teach Donghyuck the spell, because he ‘wasn’t ready yet’. It was stupid, in Donghyuck’s opinion, because it’s not like he could use it, even if he did know it. Donghyuck was curious if they told Ten the same thing. 

“Yeah, I do. Should I link with you or Chenle?” Ten asked. Donghyuck shrugged, not really caring either way, but Chenle spoke up. 

“Wouldn’t it be easier for you if you linked with another magic?” Chenle said, and Ten pursed his lips. 

“It might be. Like I said, I don’t really know much about this spell other than the basic theory.” Ten said hesitantly, looking to Donghyuck in hopes that he had answers, but Donghyuck just shrugged, since all he knew, Ten already did. 

“Well, guess we’re just winging it.” Ten sighed. “Sorry if I mess up, Donghyuck.”

“If you’re gonna be sorry about it, then just don’t mess up. You have good control, right? Put that to good use.” Donghyuck said cheekily. He could tell that Ten had become nervous, even if it was just barely. Nervousness was always bad when using spells. 

“Thanks.” Ten replied, taking a deep breath. “Lele, could you, maybe move to the kitchen? You don’t have to go all the way in, but at least be in the doorway. I don’t want you to be in the way in case something goes wrong.” Chenle nodded and got up, walking towards the kitchen door. 

“I’m telling you, just don’t mess up. You’ll be fine. You could pull off Dream Visitation, you can do Mind Link. It’s just a little harder, but hey, we all have to push ourselves, right?” Donghyuck said in a final attempt to do away with Ten’s nerves. Ten huffed, and the way he looked at Donghyuck afterwards let him know that he had succeeded. 

“ _ Bring the level up. _ ” Ten said after he stood up. Donghyuck could feel the spike in Ten’s aura and was instantly intimidated by the sheer amount of power radiating off of the elder. 

“ _ Touch two psyches, never to break. _ ” The first time, Donghyuck felt himself being pulled towards the Monteo, and he had to resist the urge to stand up so that he could be closer to Ten. 

“ _ Touch two psyches, never to break. _ ” The second time, Donghyuck thought that his brain and eyes were being ripped out of his head. A sharp pain shot through his body, but he made himself stay still and silent. He couldn’t mess up anything. 

“ _ Touch two psyches, never to break. _ ” The last time, Donghyuck’s eyes and brain returned, now with an invisible string tying him to Ten, who collapsed onto the couch.  _ Can you hear me? _ Donghyuck thought, and Ten’s voice was weak, looking like he was on the verge of passing out, but he replied. 

_ Yes.  _

Donghyuck smiled widely at that.  _ I knew you could do it. _ It was weird, how just mere minutes ago, Donghyuck had been ready to tear Ten’s eyes out, but now, it felt like they had been friends for years. 

“Did it work?” Chenle asked timidly from the kitchen doorway.

“Yeah. Ten, do you need water or food or anything?” Donghyuck asked, and Ten waved Donghyuck and Chenle off. 

“No, I would hate to make my guests do anything for me. I already asked you guys to do so much, I couldn’t make you take care of me too.” 

“Shut up, we’re feeding you. Come on, Lele.” Donghyuck stood up from his chair to walk over to the kitchen, where Chenle was nodding furiously. Ten sighed, too exhausted to fight back. 

Donghyuck wandered around the kitchen, opening random cupboards to find something suitable to get Ten’s energy back up. Chenle, meanwhile, pulled out a glass from a taller cupboard and grabbed the pitcher of water, but didn’t pour any in. 

“Should I give him just plain water, or is there something else I could…” Chenle trailed off, his eyes scanning the countertops. 

“Put sugar in it and dissolve it. That should be fine.” Donghyuck replied, opening a cabinet and smiling when he saw that it contained a box of buttery crackers. He grabbed a plate from a previous cupboard and put a handful of crackers on, as well as a few slices of cheese from the ice box. He also took a grape bunch and a few strawberries and added them to the plate.

Chenle successfully located the sugar and stirred it into the water by the time Donghyuck was done, and he left to deliver Ten his drink. Before Donghyuck could leave the kitchen, Ten’s voice popped up into Donghyuck’s head. 

_ Wait. Don’t give me fruit. I won’t eat it. _

Donghyuck scoffed but turned back nonetheless.  _ What do you suggest I give you then? I’m not just gonna give you cheese and crackers.  _

_ There should be carrots in the icebox. I don’t actually care, just anything but the damn fruit.  _

Donghyuck laughed as he pulled a sealed bag of carrots out of the icebox.  _ Why would you even have fruit here if you weren’t gonna eat it? _

‘I’m just visiting here, man’ was Ten’s response, and Donghyuck rolled his eyes, plating the carrots and bringing everything out to where Ten and Chenle were. Chenle was standing nervously next to Ten, ready in case he needed help, as the elder drank the sugary water. 

“Hey, how’re you feeling?” Donghyuck asked, putting the plate on the empty spot next to Ten. “I can see that you’re already taking full advantage of the link.” 

“I feel like I’m dead.” Ten mumbled, pulling the cup away from his lips. “I am completely appreciating all the work that our Creates do. They pull off spells like this and then they just walk it off! Insane! And then our doctor is the craziest of them all. He does Illness Manipulation like it’s his second nature, and never complains. He never gets tired. I’m convinced he’s superhuman. No other explanation.” Ten flailed his arms around, as if that would prove his point, and Chenle and Donghyuck laughed at the Monteo. 

“Illness Manipulation? Why would he need to do it so often?” Donghyuck asked. 

“He does it to cure Octanis for the kids.” Ten replied, and Donghyuck was surprised, as was Chenle, but for a different reason.

“Illness Manipulation can cure Octanis fully?” Donghyuck asked at the same time that Chenle said ‘What about the adults?’. Ten grinned at their overlapping voices. 

“Yes, it can cure Octanis. I’m surprised you didn’t know that. And as for the adults, I can’t really say that I’ve seen anyone above the age of sixteen catch Octanis, for some odd reason.” Ten explained, taking another sip of his water, using his other hand to put a cheese slice on top of a cracker and shove it in his mouth. 

“But I don’t think any of our warlocks go to the infirmary to heal people?” Donghyuck didn’t really know a whole lot about Octanis and how it fit in with the inner city, so he looked to Chenle for answers. Chenle shook his head. 

“That’s because Octanis isn’t treated in the inner city. All patients go to a lab right outside the walls to get treated. As far as I know, the warlocks don’t go there because we already have medicine that heals it for the most part, or at least makes it not contagious.” Chenle replied, and Donghyuck nodded in understanding. 

“It must be hell for that doctor.” Donghyuck grimaced. 

“He takes it like a champ, though.” Ten chuckled, his eyes distant, probably thinking about the doctor. “He’s amazing.” 

“Really? Is he a friend of yours too? What’s he like?” Chenle asked curiously, pulling a seat closer to Ten and sitting down. Donghyuck did the same, strangely wanting to hear more about what Ten’s life was like. 

“Yeah. He’s actually one of my oldest friends. He’s the mom friend, I guess, but at the same time, he’s really chill about most things, as long as he doesn’t get into trouble.” Ten replied. 

“What about the rest of you guys?” Donghyuck asked. His anger and initial caution had vanished just as quickly as it had come when he had realized, subconsciously, that the only reason he actually hated the Monteo was because of his impression of Renjun and Jaemin. Ten might have some red flags, but Donghyuck was more than willing to overlook those now that he had access to everything in Ten’s mind. 

“You really want to know about them? They’re complete chaos. I can’t give them justice just by describing them.” Ten laughed and took a sip of his water. Both Chenle and Donghyuck nodded excitedly, and Ten grinned. 

“Well, the doctor’s name is Taeil. He’s insanely powerful when it comes to magic, but once he’s out of the infirmary, he’s kind of like a doting relative that you haven’t seen in forever. Except we see him all the time. He spoils the kids, honestly. He’s always ready to help us with any pranks that we want to pull, only on the condition that we don’t get him in trouble. Johnny, well, he’s tall and he’s hot. I used to have a crush on him, but as of right now, he’s my absolute best friend. He helps me in teasing the kids, but he’s really good with actual kids. I guess he’d be the dad friend. Jaehyun is quiet-ish, mostly observing other people’s body language, but he’s more than capable of leading. Sometimes, he’s really level-headed, but other times, he really does act like a kid. He’s a morning person, which is extremely annoying for most of us, especially when he’s in that energetic mood. 

“Sicheng, he’s also kind of a wild card. For the most part, he’s calm, but once in a while, when we’re just in a private room and he doesn’t have to worry about other people judging him, he lets loose. He sleeps with his eyes open, which is creepy enough, but despite being a medic, he’s stronger than even Jaehyun and Johnny, who have arms the size of my neck. Xiaojun is Sicheng’s younger half brother, but they are definitely not the same. He’s just a ball of happiness. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him genuinely sad or angry, even when he gets pranked multiple times in a day. If anything, after he gets pranked, he helps with planning the next one. And because he’s so good with words, he never gets in trouble. He also eats like a vacuum. Yukhei is a giant and he’s built well. But he’s a smiley baby and we all love him. Well, I call him a baby, but after dinner, if we talk to him, it turns into a whole philosophy session. He doesn’t show how smart he is because he doesn’t want the high expectations that he’ll get. 

“Renjun,” Donghyuck’s body froze on instinct when he heard the name, and he could tell that Chenle curled in on himself, even if it was just by a fraction. “I can tell you guys already don’t like him, but if you actually got to meet him, you’d change your opinion of him. He has a beautiful heart, one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. He’s an artist, through and through, and every chance he gets, he’s out in the forest or the mountains, just in nature. His way of showing affection is a bit on the aggressive side, but it’s obvious that he would die for any one of us. I would love to let you guys meet the true him, but it might take years for him to loosen up enough.” Ten chuckled sadly to himself. Even if Ten insisted that Renjun was a better person than his first impression, Donghyuck didn’t think he could ever be in a room with the younger Monteo without either pissing himself in fear or picking a fight. Most likely the latter. 

“And you guys have met Jaemin, I guess. Maybe you got a weird impression of him too. In case you couldn’t tell, he’s a little more on the friendly side compared to Renjun. And he’s a bit of a flirt, I’m sorry if any of you had to suffer that.” Donghyuck scoffed. He didn’t have to go through that, but Jeno did. He still wanted to slaughter Jaemin for coming that close to his twin. “He’s more of a lover than a fighter, but is more than capable of beating all of our friends’ asses, except for Johnny, Jaehyun, Yukhei, and Sicheng. He hates being confined to one place, which might be why he suddenly went missing, and he’s too curious for his own good.” Ten sighed. 

“And the youngest of my friends is Yangyang, who’s chaos incarnate. His love for scaring and pranking people is bad enough, but add that with his natural talent for invisibility and it’s like he’s a demon. He’s the one who’s always pranking Xiaojun, and even though Xiaojun is his main victim, they’re best friends. He’s the most random person you could ever meet. We all love him anyways though.” Ten finished, laughing silently to himself. “What about you guys? What are your friends like?”

Chenle looked to Donghyuck, as if he was seeking some sort of approval. Donghyuck rolled his eyes with a smile and nodded. It was only fair that Ten got to know about them after he had told them about his own friends. 

“I haven’t known them as long as Donghyuck has, so I hope I can put their good points into words well.” Chenle pursed his lips. “Taeyong is our oldest, and he’s definitely a born leader. Sometimes, it feels like he can read my thoughts. He deals with everything, no matter how bad it is, super calmly and makes the best decisions for everyone. Even though none of us are biologically related to him and he’s always nagging, basically all of us acknowledge him as our older brother. Yuta is like a hipster uncle. He’s super laidback and he honestly looks like a prince. But even though he kind of has that aloof feel, he’s extremely loyal to people he accepts as his friends and family. He’s really athletic too. Then there’s Kun, who’s also a mom. He does all in his power to accomodate for other people and their preferences, and he cooks super well. He’s a really gentle teacher. There have been times when he gets sent to the Ystellic region to teach some magics there, and he still keeps in contact with some of his students. Doyoung is like Xiaojun, in the sense that he’s always being targeted by Donghyuck and his twin when they’re on their pranking sprees.”

Donghyuck snickered. “It’s fun, what can I say? He has a short temper.” Chenle rolled his eyes and continued. 

“Right. Well, he’s actually a really nice person, despite being constantly teased for everything he does. He’s not really loud and he tries his best to not stand out, but without him, we’d all kill each other. He’s chaotic too, in his own way. But at least he knows when to stop.” Chenle shot Donghyuck a playful glare, and Donghyuck smirked. 

“And then there’s Jungwoo, who absolutely sucks at keeping secrets, but he’s incredibly sweet and innocent. He was probably born to be a medic. He cares about everyone, no matter what their background is, and even if he’s taking care of a criminal, he’d probably stay up for a straight week to make sure that they’re okay. Kunhang is a huge extrovert. He makes friends with every single person he sees, but despite the easy-going front he puts up around most people, he’s actually really responsible and organized. He can also survive on ungodly amounts of sleep. And even though he grew up in a bad place, he still helps his dad pay off his bills. 

“Mark, well, I don’t think I can do him justice, no matter what I say. Donghyuck?” Chenle turned to Donghyuck, a knowing smile on his face. Donghyuck sighed, understanding immediately. 

“You’re closer with this Mark?” Ten asked curiously, a ghost of a smirk on his face. 

“Yeah. He’s been my best friend since I was three. Mark is,” Donghyuck trailed off, trying to find the words to describe the elder. Ten leaned forward in anticipation, and Chenle’s eyes twinkled, like he was hoping that Donghyuck would paint Mark in a good light. “an idiot.” He concluded, and Chenle burst out laughing while Ten looked extremely confused. 

“What? It looked like you were gonna say something  _ good  _ about him.” Ten spluttered, on the verge of laughing. 

“Well, I’m going to, but calling him an idiot is essential. Mark is awkward. He wanted to become an ice cream man when he was younger. He doesn’t think he’s good enough to be ranked in the DAMR, or to even have friends like us. He’s ridiculously soft. He said that when he sees Jisung do the dishes, he wants to cry. When I first met him, he was scared of me because I talked a lot,” Donghyuck let Ten and Chenle go to the back of his mind as he brought forth all the memories he had with Mark. “He hates ketchup and seafood with a passion, and he refuses to drink green tea, even if it’s better for him than coffee. Even though he looks like a baby, he has the dirtiest mind out of all of us, except for maybe Taeyong. He complains about having to babysit us, but his smile says otherwise. 

“Even though he has trouble with speaking sometimes, he is, without a doubt, our leader. He keeps his head, even when there’s a knife at his throat. Even though he normally hates physical contact, he lets me do it because he knows that I need it. He loves animals, and at one point, our general had to threaten to kick him out because he kept bringing every living thing that he found back to the compound. When I was having a bad day, it was always him and Jeno finding me and sitting with me until we all fell asleep. No matter how scared he was of people, he always,  _ always _ did everything in his power to make sure that I was happy. I can’t even count the amount of all-nighters that he pulled with me when I had nightmares. He was always with me, with that sickeningly sweet smile of his. Even when I was asleep, he was saying how he was glad that we met, saying that he wished we didn’t meet in the middle of a war. Promising that he would protect me and Jeno, Chenle and Jisung, anyone that he knew was important to me.” Donghyuck didn’t realize that he had broken out into a grin until water trickling down his face brought him back to reality. Donghyuck quickly wiped the tear away. Actually, Mark didn’t know that he was awake when the elder had said all that, but Donghyuck remembered. He would always remember. 

Both Ten and Chenle were staring at him, speechless. After a few moments, Chenle snapped out of his stupor. “Wow. And you say that he doesn’t like you back. I knew you were whipped, but I didn’t know it was that bad.” Chenle said with a stunned smile. Ten was still silent, eyes running over Donghyuck as if he was taking in all the information that Donghyuck had left out of his speech. 

“Shut up. Let’s see how you talk about Jisung then. At least I’ve come to terms with my feelings for Mark, unlike you.” 

“Woah, woah, let’s keep going in age order, huh?” Chenle held his hands up in surrender, and Donghyuck scoffed. 

“We’re not going in age order. You put Kunhang before Mark.” Donghyuck pointed out, and Chenle shrugged. 

“While you’re in the mood for giving whole speeches on your best friends, why not talk about Jeno?” The brunet said with a seemingly innocent grin. Ten tilted his head curiously at Donghyuck, and he sighed. 

“Jeno is my twin. We’re not actually related, but I’ve known him since birth and we’ve spent all nineteen years of our lives together. He’s fifty percent of my impulse control, and I’m fifty percent of his. When I’m too anxious to think correctly, he’s there to help me calm down. When I’m being too serious, he takes me out to have fun. He loves cats, even though he’s allergic. He claims to not like bitter things, but he loves dark chocolate to the point that I haven’t seen a single day pass by that he hasn’t eaten a little bit. He’s a little like Jungwoo, in the sense that neither of them care about a person’s past. He firmly believes that people can change and that no one is actually an evil person. He gives his time and energy to everyone, giving and giving even when he has nothing left to give. There was one time where he was more than ready to sign his entire life away so that I could be safe. He has this kind of feel that makes you want to tell him everything, and when you do, he listens to all of it. He gives the best advice out of everyone I know, even Kun and Taeyong. He’s surprisingly competitive with even the smallest things, and he’s always trying to make me smile, even if he sucks at it.” Donghyuck chuckled at the last part, realizing belatedly that sometime during his description of Jeno that he had pulled the ring out from under his shirt to fiddle with. He slipped it onto his pinkie, reminiscing on all the memories that it held, both good and bad. But nowhere in those memories did Jeno keep anything from him. Not like how Jeno kept knowledge of the Monteo giving the DAMR information to himself. Donghyuck even had to go to Kun, because Jeno wouldn’t tell him what was bothering him. 

“And there you have it.” Chenle turned to Ten, who nodded. “And the youngest of all of us, Jisung, he’s…”

“Didn’t Donghyuck mention something along the lines of you liking Jisung?” Ten seemed like he was about to snicker like a teenage girl, and Chenle shook his head furiously. 

“He’s my best friend, nothing more. I don’t feel anything romantic towards him, even though Donghyuck and Jeno insist otherwise.” Chenle stuck his tongue at Donghyuck, and Donghyuck returned the gesture, taking his ring off and tucking it back into his shirt. 

“Well, what’s he like? If he’s your best friend, I’ll bet you have a lot to say about him.” Ten grinned, his smile spread across his face like a cat. 

“I’m not like Donghyuck, who is hopelessly whipped for his ‘best friend’,” Chenle made air quotes with his fingers. “I’ll keep it short. Jisung is more on the quiet side. He observes people more than actively trying to participate in social interactions, even around everyone we just mentioned. He’s different around me, but that’s cause we’ve been so close for so long. He doesn’t like to rely on people, even though he has a lot of responsibility. He hates being a burden. He doesn’t believe in himself. He thinks that he’s weaker than he actually is. He’s curious, but he’s a little more cautious than Jeno is.” Chenle finished, shrugging. Donghyuck was a little disappointed in the lack of emotion, but the twinkling in the brunet’s eyes made him smile. 

“Wow, your friends all seem so sweet. I’d love to meet them, but,” Ten chuckled, “they probably would arrest me on the spot.” 

“Well, I doubt most of them would care. The only one you’d have to worry about is Yuta, and that’s cause he’s fiercely loyal to the DAMR and us. And this is just a theory based on how he reacts whenever the word ‘incrim’ is mentioned, but I think he has, like, a personal grudge against you guys.” Donghyuck said, and Ten raised an eyebrow suspiciously. 

“I don’t actually know, though. It’s just a guess.” Donghyuck held his hands up under Ten’s scrutinizing eyes. Ten sunk back into the couch as he ate another cracker. 

“Oh, well. I don’t think I’ll be meeting them anyways. A shame.” Ten mumbled, and Donghyuck nodded. 

It truly was a shame that so many people, including Donghyuck, were wired to think that Ten’s people were evil. Ten’s people were viewed as evil because their ancestors had killed one or two people. If that was the criteria for an evil person, wouldn’t Donghyuck also be evil? He pondered this as he pulled his ring back out, running his fingers over the inscriptions that wouldn’t let him forget his helplessness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ofc i chose to work on other stuff instead of this,,, i really am so sorry,,,  
> Anyways! Left and Right? a BopTM. Heng:garae? AOTY. Fearless and My My? Best B-sides to ever grace this earth. Together? Anime closing. Hotel? Trivago. Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE THE UPDATED SHIP TAGS


	12. took seventeen years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually one of my favorite chapters, as well as one of my first attempts at writing romance and the last chapter before the plot starts a c t u a l l y developing. Enjoy!

“What was that? How did you know him?” Almost immediately after Sicheng and Ten had vanished, Kun made the executive decision to bring the trio back to Soln’s inner city, with Yuta being too out of it to think rationally. Kun made sure Yuta was in bed and resting, dropped off the things they had bought at Kima in the conference room, and then he had dragged Jisung to the younger’s room and sat him down. 

“I don’t know if I can tell you, Kun. Just trust me.” Jisung said. He didn’t know if Jaemin, Jeno, and Donghyuck were still in Seungyeon’s house. He hadn’t gotten the chance to go back to the conference room and check. But Jisung assumed that none of them wanted to let the rest of the DAMR know about Jaemin. 

“You know I’d love to do that, but how can I when you knew not only that man’s name and rank, but you also knew information about Youngho? Just tell me what’s going on, Jisungie.” Kun pleaded, and Jisung blanched. It was hard to hold out against Kun. 

Jisung bit his lip, reminding himself that he had promised not to tell anyone, for Jeno’s sake.  _ For Jeno’s sake, for Jeno’s sake, for Jeno’s sake.  _ Jisung repeated the words so many times that they stopped seeming like actual words as Kun stared into Jisung’s soul.  _ Kun really is a terrifying force,  _ Jisung thought as he tried to look away from the warlock in front of him. 

“Jisung. You need to let me know what’s going on. If not me, then Taeyong or General Boa. Even Mark would be okay.” Kun said, leaning forward so that even when staring at the ground at the foot of his bed, Jisung could see the elder. 

“And I will! Just,” Jisung took a deep breath. “just trust me. Please.” Jisung begged, and Kun’s eyes softened as he backed up to Donghyuck’s bed. 

“Alright. I will. I’m sorry for being too pushy.” Kun extended a hand, and Jisung grabbed it. Standing up, Jisung was pulled into a hug from the elder, and he gratefully returned it. 

“It’s okay. I know you’re just worried. But I promise, there’s no reason to be.” Jisung lied, knowing that once he did tell Kun, ‘worried’ would be a huge understatement to what the elder would feel. But that was a problem for future Jisung. 

Holding on tight to Kun’s hand, the two went back up to the conference room to see if Kunhang needed anything else. But of course, they stopped by Yuta’s room first to check on the medic. Yuta gave them a tired smile and a small ‘I’ll be fine in like, ten minutes’ before shooing them away to prepare for Jungwoo’s birthday. 

Ha. Jungwoo’s birthday. It almost seemed like all the worst things happened on this day. The Battle of Wonjong ended on this day, sixteen years ago, and the only reason the DAMR won that battle was because Major General Jonghyun sacrificed his life. Ten years ago, Jungwoo’s father died and his mother cut off all connection with her son. Eight years ago, Brigadier General Jinri was ambushed and killed while trying to provide relief to a squadron that was stuck on the mountains. Then, just today alone, Donghyuck had found out about Jaemin, Jisung had met Ten and Sicheng, and he had finally seen just how angry Yuta was capable of getting. And of course, Jungwoo was born. But the elder usually joked about how his birthday was cursed, how he’s destined to live a doomed life. He might’ve been kidding, but Jisung felt like it wasn’t too far from the truth. At least so far. 

“Oh, where did you guys disappear to?” Kunhang didn’t seem to notice that Kun and Jisung had left again, but he just shook his head, a small smile on his face as he went back to organizing the food on the table. “Nah, not important enough.” Mark snickered, still in the same seat that he had been in when Jisung had left. 

“The twins aren’t back yet?” Jisung asked, opening a container, stealing a small cookie and popping it into his mouth. He savoured the sweet chocolate that melted as soon as it made it in. God, Nayoung and company never disappointed. 

Kunhang shook his head. “No. But it’s okay. I’ll be done here in a few minutes. No thanks to you.” Kunhang poked the side of Mark’s head, and the brigadier general cried out in mock pain and clutched it dramatically. 

“I’ve been a huge help, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mark defended himself, and Kunhang deadpanned. Kun reached over Jisung’s shoulder to also steal one of the cookies, yet flinched when Kunhang sent him a wry glance. 

“Yeah, sure, let’s say that.” Kunhang’s face was emotionless but his tone was playful as he sent an imaginary smile to Mark. “I think Doyoung did more.” 

Mark’s face changed at the statement, to a neutral one to a playfully competitive one. “What are you talking about? I did more than he did. I did both the streamers and the balloons.” Mark said, finally sitting up straight in his seat. Kunhang broke his cold mask and grinned. 

“Oh, yeah?” Kunhang said provocatively. “Let’s just go with that.”

“Ya! I helped! Jisungie, I helped, right?” Mark turned to the younger, who had begun to munch on another cookie. Once he started, he couldn’t stop. 

“I guess.” Jisung replied, purposely teasing the elder, who groaned and rolled his eyes back. “I’m kidding. You helped.” Mark quickly snapped back to normal, giving Jisung a thumbs-up, while Kunhang laughed. 

“Alright, alright, you helped. Congrats, do you want a medal?” Kunhang clapped teasingly, and Mark punched the lieutenant in the arm. “Anyways, I’m done. You guys are free to go.” 

Mark stood up, perhaps a little too eagerly. He had the same look in his eyes that he had earlier before Jisung left. It was the perfect opportunity. “Dude, Donghyuck isn’t even in the infirmary. He’s doing other stuff. You can’t bother him right now.” Mark looked scandalized at Jisung’s words. 

“Like I said before, I don’t know where you’re getting these ideas. I’m not going to go see him.” Jisung could tell Mark was lying through his teeth and was about to take another cookie before Kunhang smacked his hand. 

“You’re hopeless.” Jisung didn’t need to prompt Kun to say anything. “You guys have been dancing around each other since I came here, most likely even before that. Donghyuck is a very sweet and attractive boy. He won’t be single forever. You’re going to regret not making a move later. Take a chance.” Kun said, and both Jisung and Kunhang nodded in agreement.

But Jisung leaned closer to Kunhang and mumbled, “It seems like Donghyuck has his heart set on Mark though.” 

“Yeah, but Mark doesn’t know that, so hush.” Kunhang replied, rolling his eyes in annoyance towards the two dumbasses. 

Mark was silent after what Kun said, taking in the ‘reality’. Jisung could practically see the gears in the elder’s head turning as he thought about whatever that little rat brain thinks about. The room was filled with silence as Mark sat back down and stared into space. Kunhang moved to Kun’s side.

“I think you broke him, ge.” Maybe it was meant to be a whisper, but Jisung heard it easily. Mark, on the other hand, was in his own world and had stopped paying attention to the other three in the room, as well as whatever Kunhang was saying about him. 

“He needs the wake up call. Donghyuck could be gone before he knows it, and he’ll have done nothing.” Kun shrugged, absolutely ruthless and shameless in his words. It felt alien to have Kun so outwardly harsh and stern. 

“You could be a little more gentle with your wording though.” Jisung said quietly, and Mark, snapping out of his daze, shook his head at Jisung’s words. 

“No, no, he’s right. But I’ll save it for another day. Today is about Jungwoo anyways. I wouldn’t want to cause unnecessary drama.”  _ Too late for that _ , Jisung thought as he remembered the events of the day, even though it was barely noon. 

“Are you kidding me? You and Donghyuck finally getting together would be the best gift you could give Jungwoo. You know how much he loves you guys.” Kunhang laughed, and Mark bit his lip. 

“Even if he was okay with it, Donghyuck is busy. I don’t want to burden him with, ugh,  _ feelings _ .” Mark shuddered at the last word as if it were taboo, and Jisung had to stop himself from snickering. But it was progress, right? Until this morning, there was no way that Mark would’ve even entertained the idea of confessing to his best friend. Kun smiled at the younger. 

“Well, you’re going to have to do it at some point. I won’t get off your ass until either one of you confesses their undying love.” Kun said simply, and Mark’s face instantly turned to the color of a beet. 

“It’s not  _ undying love _ .” Mark mumbled as his eyes darted everywhere around the room except for where Kunhang, Kun, and Jisung were. Jisung thought it was adorable how flustered he got. 

“Not a single person in the compound, no, scratch that, the entire inner city, believes that. We all know that you’re head over heels except for Fullsun himself.” It had been years since Jisung had last heard anyone refer to Donghyuck as ‘Fullsun’, but it felt natural coming out of Kun’s mouth. Which was only proper, considering that Kun had given him the nickname in the first place. 

“I’ll figure it out.” Mark promised, and Jisung almost felt bad for Donghyuck, that this awkward boy was the love of his life.  _ But it goes both ways,  _ Jisung chuckled as he remembered the numerous times that Donghyuck would refuse to admit that he felt anything for Mark, claiming that he would rather throw the elder into a pit than date him. Now  _ that  _ had been hell. 

“You better. I’d hate to see you two miserable for the rest of your lives because neither of you had enough guts to confess.” Kun said in a threatening way, but everyone in the room knew that he really did care about Mark and Donghyuck’s relationship. 

“I know, I promise. I’ll try and get it done tomorrow by dinner.” Mark said nonchalantly, and both Kunhang and Jisung gasped in unison, shocked at Mark’s casual tone. 

“Are you serious? You can’t just do it like  _ that! _ ” Kunhang shrieked, snapping his fingers. Mark backed up, his eyebrows having shot up his forehead quizzically. “You have to plan it out! Make it romantic! Flashy! Something that Donghyuck will remember for the rest of his life!” 

Jisung nodded solemnly. “I pity him. Imagine what would happen if you didn’t have us. Don’t worry, Mark Lee, we’ll make sure that Donghyuck knows just how much you love him.” Kunhang sighed in disappointment as he shook his head while Kun laughed at them. 

“Dude, just thinking about it is too much for me. You think I’ll be able to physically and emotionally handle some big show of affection?” Mark looked terrified at this point, eyes taking up half of his face. 

“You’re going to suck it up and deal with it for Donghyuck. Who knows how much pain that boy has been through, pining after your dense ass.” Kunhang said without skipping a beat, and Jisung snickered. Mark looked to Kun, begging with his eyes for the elder to stop Kunhang and Jisung, and much to Jisung’s pleasure, the warlock shook his head. 

“Sorry, Mark, they aren’t wrong. It’s okay. You’ll only have to do this twice. Once now, then the second when you propose. You’ll be fine.” Kun grinned at the brigadier general, and Mark groaned, loudly and dramatically. 

“You guys haven’t even told me your plan and I feel like I’m gonna pass out.” Mark grumbled, to which Jisung laughed, not holding back at the elder’s suffering. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll try our best to make it as easy as possible while still showing Donghyuck how much you care.” Kunhang said, but Jisung laughed again, cutting the Ystellic boy off. 

“What are you talking about, Kunhang, no, we won’t.” Jisung said through his laughs and Kunhang joined in as soon as Jisung finished speaking. 

“You’re right. I wish I could say sorry, Mark, but I’m really not, man. You had this coming.” Kunhang shook with laughter, and Mark’s face continued to get redder and redder. 

Kun, taking pity on the poor boy, cleared his throat. “As much as I’d love to keep teasing Mark, it can wait until we get to the dining hall. While you were yelling at him, I’m pretty sure that I heard the lunch bell.” Mark, Kunhang, and Jisung snapped their heads to the door in unison, like meerkats, before all three of them launched themselves out of the conference room, Kun following them, laughing. Jisung might have stolen a few cookies, but he would never skip lunch. Planning out Mark’s confession to Donghyuck could wait a minute or two. Hopefully, they might even see Jungwoo there. 

Jisung’s expectations were passed when he saw not only Jungwoo, but Doyoung, Taeyong, Yuta, and Chenle sitting at their regular table. Chenle waved enthusiastically when Jisung came into the dining hall, and Jisung happily returned the bright smile that his best friend sent him. He would try and ask about the dark circles under the elder’s eyes after he got his food. 

Jisung quickly grabbed a plate from the serving bar, it having a lettuce, cheese, and turkey breast sandwich. He also took a plate of apple pie before heading to the table. Chenle patted the seat next to him, and Jisung took it gratefully. 

“How are the preparations going?” Chenle asked quietly, so as to not let Jungwoo hear. It wasn’t a surprise party by any means— Jungwoo knew very well what they were planning, they did almost the same thing every year— but Chenle still acted like it was. 

“They’re finished. All that’s left is for Jeno and Donghyuck to come back from whatever they’re doing.” Jisung replied at the same volume, leaning in closer to whisper into his best friend’s ear, who frowned. 

“Where’d they go?” Chenle asked, his smile replaced with worry. 

“Oh, they’re just meeting up with someone. They should be finished soon though.” Jisung said, moving to sit properly so he could eat. He hadn’t checked the cheese before sitting down, but he was glad to find out that it was Montery Jack. If it was cheddar, Jisung would’ve given it to Taeyong without a second thought. His brother might have loved cheddar, but Jisung would rather eat a whole chili pepper than eat that cheese. 

“They better not miss Jungwoo’s birthday.” Chenle huffed. He then took a deep breath and his cheerful, smiley self was back. Jisung wished that Chenle wouldn’t worry as much. 

So before Chenle could change the subject, Jisung took Chenle’s hand into his clean one and squeezed. “Don’t worry. They’ll be back.” Chenle gave Jisung an enormous grin, and Jisung felt his heart swell with what he was pretty sure was pride.  _ This really is my best friend.  _ He had gotten so incredibly lucky. “Did you sleep—” Jisung was about to ask about Chenle’s obvious lack of sleep, but he was interrupted. 

“Oh!” Jisung heard Kunhang exclaim, and looking over, he saw Mark shrink instinctively into his seat. “I have an announcement!” Everyone around the table turned to Kunhang, who looked like he was about to stand up and deliver the announcement to everyone in the dining hall. Fortunately for Mark, Kunhang held himself back from making a fool of the brigadier general. 

“After a wake up call from Kun— thank you for that, by the way—” Kunhang grinned at Kun, who nodded. “Mark here has finally decided that he’s going to stop being a little pussy and confess to Donghyuck.” 

The response around the table was instantaneous. Yuta and Doyoung’s cheers, Chenle’s shrieks, Jungwoo’s congratulations, and Taeyong’s bright smile drew the attention of everyone else in the dining hall. Kunhang looked insanely proud of himself, like he himself was the one who got Mark and Donghyuck together. Jisung grinned at Mark, who had sunk so low into his seat he was practically under the table, his face crimson like it was set on fire. 

Kunhang poked Mark playfully. “Hey, Mork, I'm going to tell other people about this.” Mark grumbled something that remotely resembled ‘as long as Hyuck doesn’t find out’, and Kunhang smiled even wider than Jisung thought was possible. 

“You guys good?” Baekhyun asked from behind Jisung and Kun nodded. 

“Yeah, sorry.” Kun said at the same time that Kunhang said ‘Mark is finally going to confess’. Baekhyun’s eyes popped out of his head, and the rest of his table froze, Chanyeol even stopping midchew. Then they erupted into cheers and congratulations, further causing the rest of the dining hall to stare. 

“Kunhang, you might as well stand on the table and shout it to the world.” Doyoung was obviously being sarcastic, but Kunhang might’ve been too high on pride to realize. 

“That’s a great idea!” 

“Wait—”

“Everyone! May I have your attention!” Kunhang had climbed onto the table with frightening speed and was now cupping his hands around his mouth, as if his voice wasn’t loud enough on his own. All eyes were on Kunhang, and Mark was now  _ actually  _ under the table. Jisung and Chenle laughed at the embarrassment of the elder, Chenle even tapping Mark with his foot. 

“After— wait, how many years has it been?” Kunhang looked down to Taeyong, who still wore the biggest smile Jisung had seen from him in a while. 

“Fifteen.” Taeyong replied calmly. It was actually sixteen, but Jisung didn't feel like correcting anything. 

“After fifteen  _ long  _ years, our Mark here has finally decided to stop being a coward and tell Donghyuck how much he loves him!” The entire room broke out into applause immediately, even the few kitchen staff that had come out at the commotion. Jisung didn’t have to look under the table to know that Mark was seriously contemplating killing himself to save himself from the embarrassment. 

“Congrats, Markus!” Jisung recognized Taemin’s hyper voice over all the noise. The rest of the room echoed the sentiment, but Mark still had yet to come out from under the table. 

Taeyeon got up from her table and started walking towards theirs. “Kunhang, if you could please come down from the table.” Taeyeon said gently to the Ystellic boy, and Kunhang instantly complied. “Congratulations, Mark. I hope everything goes well.” Taeyeon spoke more to the tabletop than to Mark himself, but the brigadier general thanked her anyways. 

“It’s gonna go perfectly. After all, Mark has me on his side! I’ll make him give Donghyuck the confession of his life!” Kunhang cheered, the attention of the room having quickly faded away from Mark. When it quieted down a little more, Mark ventured out from under the table, his face looking redder than a tomato. 

“I don’t think it was completely necessary to announce it like that.” Mark mumbled, staring at his sandwich in pure embarrassment and nervousness. 

“Well, you sorta gave your permission, so…” Kunhang trailed off, the sight of Mark’s anxiety sobering him up immediately. “Sorry. I went a little overboard. I’m just really happy. You guys are going to be perfect together.” 

Mark gave the lieutenant a weak smile as the rest of the table voiced their agreements. “Thanks, guys. It—” Mark was cut off by his own voice cracking, and Jisung realized that the elder’s eyes were red and beginning to tear up. “I really hope I don’t fuck up. I don’t want to lose him.” 

“Oh, baby,” Taeyong reached across the table to wipe the tear that fell from Mark’s eyes. “You won’t. Donghyuck loves you as much as you love him.” 

Mark gulped and bit his lip. “I really hope you guys are right.”

“Trust me, he’s totally fallen for you. And if you follow my instructions, you two will spend the rest of your lives together.” Kunhang rubbed Mark’s head, eliciting a chuckle from the elder. 

***

Surprisingly enough, nothing went wrong during Jungwoo’s celebration. Jungwoo said it was the best one he had so far, giving Mark a wink. It might’ve been Mark’s imagination, but Donghyuck looked irritated when Jungwoo did it. Mark was hoping it wasn’t his imagination. 

Kunhang’s plan was simple enough. Contrary to his claim that neither he nor Jisung would take it easy, they eventually had relented and let Mark live. He would be eternally grateful to Taeyong for talking the two down. All Mark had to do was take Donghyuck to Chococo. Sally, one of Kunhang’s friends, worked there and she, as well as the rest of the waitresses, would provide support in case Mark lost his composure. Hana, the hostess, would take the two to the rooftop, where Mark would ‘take Donghyuck into his arms, proclaim his love, and then kiss him’, in Kunhang’s words. Kunhang, Jungwoo, and Doyoung had already started planning the wedding apparently. 

For once, Mark was glad that Chenle worked early. He wanted to talk to Jeno about his plans before going through with anything. It was only fitting, since Jeno was the closest thing Donghyuck had to actual family. He watched as Jeno rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked over to Mark. 

“Morning. You’re still here?” Jeno asked, cracking his neck. “You really don’t have a lot to do, do you?” 

“I wanted to talk to you about something before I left.” Mark replied, scratching the back of his neck nervously. 

Jeno blinked. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“No, no, it’s nothing bad. I think,” Mark took a deep breath. “Tonight, I’m going to take Donghyuck out, and I’m going to tell him how I feel. I just wanted to let you know, and like, hopefully, you’re okay with it.” Mark said. Turning to the wall in front of him, Jeno let out a single laugh, but it didn’t sound happy. Mark bit his lip. If Jeno didn’t approve, he didn’t think that he could confess. 

For another few seconds, it was silent. Then Jeno’s eyes widened in realization as he snapped his head to look at Mark. “W-What?” Mark didn’t get the chance to repeat himself before Jeno actually  _ launched  _ himself from his bed to envelop Mark in a bone-crushing hug. “Oh my god, of course it’s okay with me! You didn’t even need to ask, stupid!” 

“Thanks.” Mark choked out. If Jeno didn’t let go soon, Mark was pretty sure that his rib cage would shatter under the pressure. 

“How come I didn’t know before?” Jeno, sensing the elder’s inability to breathe, loosened his grip. His eyes sparkled with excitement for Donghyuck. 

“It’s a recent development. I was gonna tell you last night, but you seemed really off? Are you okay?” Mark was grateful that he could breathe now, now looking at Jeno, concerned. He and Donghyuck had kept each other at a distance all of last night, even though they were usually attached at the hip. 

“Yeah, no need to worry. We just had a little argument. It’s all fine.” Jeno shrugged. “But I really hope that everything goes well for you two. Lord knows how long he’s been waiting for this.” Mark really hoped that everyone was telling the truth and not just getting his hopes up. 

***

“Okay, Minhyung. You can do this. All you’re doing is asking him to dinner. It’s simple.” Mark told himself as he made his way down the main hallway of the second floor, going to Donghyuck’s room. Donghyuck had been given some time off, because apparently, Minseok had taken one look at Donghyuck and immediately decided that the younger wasn’t feeling well enough to train. Mark really hoped that Donghyuck was okay. 

Mark stopped in front of Donghyuck’s door, taking another deep breath as he mustered up the courage to knock. He was sure that his face was already red. Donghyuck would tease him endlessly for that, but that would be good. It would mean that he was feeling okay. Slowly, Mark raised his hand up to the wood and knocked. 

“Yeah?” Mark heard Donghyuck’s voice and pushed open the door cautiously. “Oh, Mark, what’s up?” 

Donghyuck’s area of the room was a mess, covered in old papers, old books, pens, and pencils. It was strange to see Donghyuck so messy. “Everything okay?” Mark asked, and Donghyuck nodded. 

“Yeah, just doing some research. What’s up? It’s not like you to come visit me. Not that I mind.” Donghyuck said the last part with a playful wink, and Mark felt his chest tighten. God, Donghyuck was so beautiful. 

“I, um, are you, uh, oh god,” Mark found that the little bit of courage he had had leaked out of his body as soon as Donghyuck winked, and he struggled to find the words to ask Donghyuck. He was pathetic, a stuttering, blushing mess just because Donghyuck had done something so simple. 

Donghyuck pushed the book in his lap to the side as he stood up, worry covering his face.  _ Oh, now you’ve done it. Now he’s worried about you. Get over yourself, Minhyung, it should be so easy. _ “Mark. Are you okay?” 

Oh, god, Mark couldn’t do this. He couldn’t even look at Donghyuck anymore. The knowledge of what he was supposed to do made it impossible for Mark to breathe normally. When Donghyuck put a hand on Mark’s shoulder, he genuinely thought that he was going to die from his head exploding. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Donghyuck said gently, just like how Mark would talk to him when the younger was having panic attacks. And Mark remembered that he would do anything for Donghyuck. He would step in front of a raging bull, he would even slit his own throat for the sunkissed boy in front of him. 

Asking him out to dinner was nothing. If it made Donghyuck happy, he would push his anxiety to the back burner and do it. “Do you want to go with me to Chococo tonight?” Mark finally asked. Donghyuck’s eyes widened, and Mark instantly regretted everything.  _ Oh, god, I fucked up, didn’t I? He doesn’t like me back, I probably just ruined everything.  _

“Sure.” Donghyuck said, shrugging. 

Mark felt his brain short-circuit as he blinked rapidly. “S-Sure?” 

“Sure,” Donghyuck repeated. “What's going on with you, weirdo?” He asked, smirking.

“N-Nothing.” Mark replied, and when Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, Mark promised, “It’s nothing. I swear. But, um, I’ll come back at five and we can go. That’s okay, right?” Donghyuck nodded. God, Kunhang’s plan better work. Mark would actually die if it didn’t. 

Mark was too deep into his own thoughts to notice Donghyuck’s hopeful stares following him out of the room. 

An hour later, Mark returned to Donghyuck’s room. He had spent the entire time choosing clothes, although in the end, Kunhang ended up having to pick for him. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt with a small panda graphic on the right side of his chest with a blue jean jacket, black ripped jeans, and a striped cloth choker. Hopefully, he looked presentable. Mark knew that he was nowhere near Donghyuck’s level of beauty. 

Mark knocked, and he heard Donghyuck say, ‘Come in’, so Mark opened the door and thought that he would drop dead. Donghyuck’s outfit was simple— a deep blue bomber jacket, a plain black tee, and blue jeans— but just the fact that it was Donghyuck wearing it… Mark was sure that angels looked exactly like the boy in front of him. 

“Hi.” Mark breathed. His brain had stopped working again. Donghyuck’s light tan hair was fluffy yet it looked damp, like he had just taken a shower and dried it. 

“Hi yourself.” Donghyuck smiled smugly, looking Mark up and down. He felt like he was going to be devoured. 

Mark’s heartbeat made him unable to hear anything else, but he hoped that he said ‘Are you ready’ instead of something else incredibly stupid. Donghyuck nodded in response, a devilish smile on his face. Mark  _ really  _ hoped that he said the right thing. Tonight was going to be tiring as hell. 

***

“Hi, I have a reservation under Mark Lee.” Mark said, needing to make sure that Donghyuck didn’t know that all of the restaurant knew about what Mark was going to do.

“Yes, of course. Follow me.” Hana said, leaving her coworker, Soyee, to deal with any other customers. Soyee gave Mark a subtle thumbs-up, and Mark sent back the best smile he could muster. 

His heart was doing backflips in his chest. On the walk here, Donghyuck’s hand had brushed against his, which usually, Mark wouldn’t mind as much, but today was different. Today, he was getting his shit together after nearly seventeen years, since the first moment he had seen Donghyuck. Even though he had been terrified of the younger at first, Mark had known from that moment that he wanted nothing other than for Donghyuck to be happy and safe. He had known that for so long, but he had only voiced his thoughts once, and he was pretty sure that Donghyuck hadn’t even been awake to hear it. 

“Mark, why are you so tense? Calm down.” Donghyuck laughed, pushing Mark with his shoulder as they made their way up the stairs. Nodding in acknowledgement, Mark wondered if Donghyuck realized that he was the sun in Mark’s life. They both waved at the waitresses as they passed them, knowing all of them by name as a result of coming here almost every week for ten years. Sally, Haebin, Mina, Nayoung, Mimi, all of them gave Mark some gesture wishing him good luck, but Mark would be lying if he said that they made them feel any better. 

“How’s Hyeyeon doing in school?” Donghyuck asked Hana, a way to make small talk. Hyeyeon had been a waitress at Chococo until around two years ago, when she quit to make time for school. 

“She’s doing really well. She’ll come and visit once in a while, and every time, she’ll bring friends who say that she’s top of the class. We’re all really proud of her.” Hana said, her mind somewhere else as she answered. That really  _ was  _ good. Being at the top of the class at the University of Soln was a huge accomplishment, especially considering that Hyeyeon was in business, the most cutthroat major that Mark knew of. 

“That’s amazing!” Donghyuck exclaimed. “Imagine being smart.”

“You’re smart, don’t say that, Hyuck.” Mark said as soon as he heard the words. 

Donghyuck nudged Mark’s shoulder again. “Aw, thanks. But I don’t think there’s a single person in Soln that can compare to Hyeyeon. God, she’s insane.” 

Hana laughed lightly as they reached the rooftop level, opening the door. Donghyuck looked to Mark with a questioning look that said ‘why are we here?’. Mark returned it with a smile. Donghyuck frowned cutely, and Mark resisted the urge to rub the younger’s head. 

The trio stepped out onto the roof, and Donghyuck grabbed Mark’s arm as he stood, mouth agape, at the scene before them. Butterfly shaped fairy lights were strung all around the railings, and the single table in the middle of the roof had rose petals scattered around the bottom. The two chairs were plush, lined with red velvet, like a throne. The tablecloth looked like it was made with the finest silk, and the border designs were the signature pattern of Girls’ Day, the highest end seamstresses in all of Lokstin. The candles, lit around the edges of the table, provided dim light. 

Hana smiled gently at Mark, and Mark took that as his cue to guide Donghyuck to the table, pulling out a seat. Donghyuck sat down slowly, still looking around the roof with eyes that seemed to hold the entire galaxy in them. Hana gave Mark a thumbs-up and slipped back downstairs. 

“Mark, what’s this?” Donghyuck said breathlessly.

“Donghyuck, I,” Mark couldn’t bring himself to leave Donghyuck’s side, not even to sit down. So he kneeled right next to Donghyuck and took the younger’s hand into his own. Coward Mark was gone. It was now or never, and Mark wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he let all of Chococo’s staff’s work and Kunhang’s plan go to waste. 

“Haechan. Lee Donghyuck. Fullsun. There’s something I need to tell you.” Mark heard Donghyuck’s breath hitch, but he continued. He had to get this into the open air. “I’m really sorry if this is too cheesy for your taste, but, um, I’ve been waiting seventeen years to tell you this.”

Mark took a deep breath. “Haechan, ever since the first second I saw you, I knew immediately that you were the one for me. I was a little scared of you at first, but my true feelings have never changed. I hated seeing you in pain, I hated seeing you cry, even if they were tears of laughter. All I’ve ever wanted to do is hold you close, wipe away your tears, and take your pain away. I’d take all of your trauma, all the guilt that you feel, everything that makes you sad, within a heartbeat if I could. You deserve nothing but the best. No matter what you think you did in the past doesn’t matter, because that wasn’t your fault. Nothing you think makes you a bad person is your fault. Every time you blame yourself for something that you didn’t do, it’s taken me all my willpower to not kiss you senseless until you realize that you’ve done nothing wrong. The best moments in my life all have you by my side. Even in the bad moments, you’re there to help me to get through it. Every year that passes, I thank the gods that you’re still here, safe and by my side. I would do anything for you, even if it involved me giving up my own life. Because, Lee Donghyuck, I love you with all my heart. I always have, and I always will. No matter what happens, I want nothing more than be by your side to dry your tears, to see your smile. You are the sun in my life, Haechan. You are the best thing to ever happen to me. Every single part of you. I was your best friend in the past, but if you would let me, I want to be your lover in the present, and every single second of the future.” Mark waited two seconds after he stopped talking before he shot up to Donghyuck’s eye level and was wiping away the younger’s tears with a napkin. 

“No, no, please don’t cry.” Donghyuck was sobbing, the faint traces of makeup that he had on now completely gone with the tears. It ripped Mark’s heart apart to know that for the first time,  _ he  _ was the one causing the angel to cry. He was definitely going to hell now, if he wasn’t already. Donghyuck trembled under Mark’s touch, his sobs echoing through the cool night air. 

“You’re— You’re so disgusting.” Donghyuck hiccuped, and Mark usually would’ve backed away, but he was too focused on getting the younger to stop crying. “You’re so cheesy, you’re so corny, oh my god.” Even though Mark tried to not pay much attention to the words, they still hurt. Yet Mark felt light. He felt… happy. 

“I’m sorry.” Mark dabbed the napkin at Donghyuck’s under-eye softly, not wanting to hurt the younger. Suddenly, Donghyuck was yanking on Mark’s choker to get him closer, and Mark could barely get himself balanced again before his lips met with Donghyuck’s. Donghyuck’s body was still shaking with sobs, but his lips were so sweet that Mark couldn’t pull himself away to take care of the younger any more. Mark closed his eyes, leaning in closer, deepening the kiss. 

It was gentle, soft, patient. Donghyuck wasn’t in the condition to do anything drastic, and Mark had all the time in the world. He brought a hand up to Donghyuck’s jaw and pulled the light tan haired boy closer. Donghyuck reached up, locking his arms around Mark’s neck and pulling himself to his feet to make the kiss less awkward. Mark used his free arm to wrap around Donghyuck’s waist so that their bodies were touching, and he felt the world melt away. The fairy lights, the candles, the soft silk of the tablecloth, the Chococo waitresses, his friends back at the DAMR waiting for a successful report, even the secrets that Jeno and Jisung were obviously keeping from the rest of them, all of them left his mind as Mark went in for more. He had never wanted anything more than this, and if Donghyuck wasn’t holding him back, then he was free. 

Mark sucked on Donghyuck’s bottom lip, earning a quiet moan from the younger. The noise made Mark want to go completely feral, but he managed to hold himself back, not wanting to do anything too hasty on the roof of Chococo. Eventually, Mark had pulled Donghyuck so close that they both lost their balance, Mark falling on his butt to the ground. But they both instantly reconnected their lips, Donghyuck straddling Mark, both with a renewed passion. Mark swiped his tongue against Donghyuck’s lips, and the younger opened them without a second of hesitation. Free to explore, Mark dove in, his tongue exploring every bit of Donghyuck’s mouth. This got another whine, just a little louder than last time, from Donghyuck, the vibrations making Mark’s brain short-circuit. He chased after whatever would make Donghyuck do that again, this time biting the younger’s lip. This earned Mark a full-volume moan of pleasure, and god, it felt  _ so damn good  _ against Mark’s mouth, and the noise kicked the logical part of Mark’s mind to the curb. 

Then Mark was pulling away, making Donghyuck whimper at the sudden loss of contact. Mark, instead of going back to Donghyuck’s lips, went to his neck. He sucked at the tender skin above Donghyuck’s carotid artery. The vibrations coming from Donghyuck’s moans made Mark dizzy from the pleasure, and he bit down. Donghyuck let out a shaky breath, on the verge of a moan yet it was obvious that he was holding his noises back. Mark knew that the younger was trying to keep it down while they were in public.  _ Considerate of others, just like always.  _ Mark moved his lips all along Donghyuck’s neck, sucking and nipping wherever he wanted, because  _ god,  _ Donghyuck was his now. No one could judge his angel for being marked. 

Donghyuck was panting, and Mark thought that having breaths so beautiful should be illegal. When he felt Donghyuck’s hips grind down into his lap, Mark delivered an especially sensual bite right beneath Donghyuck’s jaw. The stimulation made it so the younger couldn’t stay quiet anymore, and the night echoed with Donghyuck’s moan.  _ Beautiful _ was all Mark could think before Donghyuck’s hands were gone from Mark’s neck and clamped over his mouth. Mark pulled his lips off of Donghyuck and smirked up at the boy in his lap. 

“Baby?” Mark questioned. 

“That was so loud, oh my god. What if there are children out there? I probably just scared them.” Donghyuck said with trembling breaths, the rational part of his brain back, and with seeing Donghyuck so caring, Mark’s was too. 

“It doesn’t matter. You sounded beautiful.” Mark leaned back into Donghyuck’s collarbone, doing nothing but inhaling Donghyuck’s scent, ever so hypnotising. 

“Shut up. I could’ve just scarred a few kids for the rest of their lives.” Donghyuck’s hands were back around Mark’s neck, pulling the elder closer, squishing him into Donghyuck’s chest. 

“More like you blessed them. I would kill to hear noises like yours.” Mark mumbled. “I love you.” 

Donghyuck chuckled. “I love you too. But shouldn’t we get off of the floor?” Donghyuck released his grip on Mark, but the elder groaned, not moving away from Donghyuck’s collarbone. 

“But this is so comfortable.” 

“I bet the high quality furniture that the staff prepared is even better.” Donghyuck laughed. The sound was angelic, travelling through the cold night like a siren’s song. Mark would gladly let Donghyuck drown him anytime. Donghyuck crawled off of Mark’s lap, pulled Mark to his feet, and led him to the table. The entire time, Mark stared at the purple-red spots on Donghyuck’s neck and smiled to himself. 

“You planned all of this?” Donghyuck asked, not even picking up the menu. He and Mark were regulars at Chococo and the staff knew their orders by heart. Neither of them ever tried anything new, making things very easy for Hana and the workers. 

“Well, Kunhang talked to Sally and Hana, who set this up. Everything after Hana left was just me winging it.” Mark replied. 

“You did great.” Donghyuck reached across the table to take Mark’s hand into his. “I loved every single second of it. Other than when I possibly scarred some kids for life.” Donghyuck chuckled softly. 

“I’m glad. I didn’t know if I would be good enough for you. You kind of freaked me out when you started crying. Thought I did something wrong.” Mark confessed. “And you calling me disgusting hurt me a little bit.”

“You are disgusting. You’re the reason I cried, you cheesy idiot.” Donghyuck grinned. “You know, just two days ago, Chenle was telling me that he would make us stop dancing around each other by my birthday. Was he involved with this?” 

“He wanted to help, but he had to work. Plus I only made up my mind to confess at lunch yesterday. Not a lot of time for him to get involved. But it might’ve been flashier if he had been.” Mark said. 

“It was amazing anyway, baby. I love it, just like this. Plain and simple.”

Mark breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god. You know, Kunhang and Jisung wanted to make it super big and extra. Kunhang was even about to ask Junhee if he was allowed to have a fireshow. Taeyong had to talk him down from it. I’m glad you like it better like this.” 

“They should know that I love everything you do.” Donghyuck was shooting hearts through his eyes at Mark, but he didn’t mind in the least. If anything, Mark was doing the same. It felt like heaven, but Mark couldn’t resist the chance to tease Donghyuck. 

“You’re a sappy fool.” Mark said, tightening his grip on Donghyuck’s hand. 

“I don’t think you can call me sappy. Not with that whole speech earlier.” Donghyuck retorted, his eyes soft. “But I’m  _ your  _ sappy fool.” 

Mark brought Donghyuck’s hand up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

When the two got back to the military compound that night, Mark thought that his eardrums would burst from the amount of cheers and screams coming from his friends when they saw his and Donghyuck’s joined hands. His face turning red, Mark wanted to hide from the embarrassment, but Donghyuck, ever so loving, pecked Mark’s cheek. 

“Don’t run. I’m right here.” And Mark stayed, right there by Donghyuck’s side, where he hoped that he would stay forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you have no experience kissing so you just have to go off assumptions,,,grrrrrrrrrrrrr difficulty it probably looks like it was written by a 10 year old
> 
> Early gift! I'm planning to have this be the only update for this month so i can finish this next arc and then i might start with 2 chapters per month? not too sure yet but i hope you accept my peace offering for starting another fic despite not finishing this one


	13. Chapter 13

The night that Mark had confessed to Donghyuck, Jisung woke up in the middle of the night with a pounding headache, like someone had gotten into his skull and was smashing the inside with a sledgehammer. It wasn’t a migraine, he was pretty sure, but he couldn’t really be sure until the sun came up. He flipped over, pushing his face into his pillow, hoping that the throbbing would go away, but each time his head pulsed, it got worse. He debated on waking Donghyuck up, but the elder had an eventful night, and Jisung didn’t want to take away from his sleep.  _ I can deal with it until I fall back asleep,  _ Jisung told himself. 

But he couldn’t go back to sleep. No matter how hard he tried to relax, his head kept pounding and his body just couldn’t relax.  _ Is the infirmary open? _ Jisung asked himself, finally deciding that he couldn’t bear the pain any longer as he tossed the blankets off and sat up. The moonlight was bright, but it didn’t seem to aggravate the headache.  _ So probably not a migraine.  _

Jisung pulled on a thick black sweater and opened the door as silently as he could. Kunhang was already passed out, snoring softly, and Donghyuck was curled up in his sheets, clutching onto a pillow with a smile on his face. Jisung might’ve been imagining it, but there were large wisps of what looked like smoke coming off of Donghyuck’s body. Even though he was around ten feet away from the promiser, the wisps reached Jisung. The smoke from Donghyuck was red and black. Donghyuck’s favorite colors. Jisung made a note to ask the promiser about it tomorrow morning, once he got rid of this damn headache. 

Jisung slipped into the hallway, shutting the door silently behind him. He couldn’t pay much attention to his surroundings— the headache made him nauseous, and he was trying to not throw up— but as he passed the various rooms, he felt the more wisps, each unique so that he could tell the individual who they belonged to. Minseok’s blue wisps, Jongin’s black and blue, Kun’s blue and white, and even Yeri’s pink tendrils. What was going on with him?  _ The headache must be making me hallucinate.  _ Or maybe not, Jisung realized as he passed by Luna’s room and he was hit with the harsh feeling of blue. Another question for Donghyuck. 

Making his way down the stairs, Jisung tried in vain to remember who was on the night shift for the infirmary today. If only he had paid a little more attention last time he went to visit Chenle. He gripped onto the stair railings as if his life depended on it, and in a dramatic way, it did. Jisung was decently sure that if he let go of the railing, he’d fall down the stairs and wake up the entire compound. When he had two steps left to go, a particular strong throb made Jisung squeeze the rail that had somehow disappeared as soon as he tried to use it to regain his balance. He fell onto his ass down the remaining steps, the headache worsening with each movement. After he had reached the bottom, Jisung whipped back around to look at the railing, a motion that his body hated him for. In the banister was an empty slot the size of Jisung’s hand. The only indication that there had been anything there was a pile of dust below where the rail should’ve been. 

“What the fuck.” Jisung said quietly, another action that made his head pound even harder. He used his left hand to rub at his temples while he ran through the dust pile with his right. The railing had been fine when he was at the top of the steps. Was this all some sort of weird dream? It certainly felt surreal and fake. God, Donghyuck was going to be so annoyed by Jisung’s numerous questions when he woke up tomorrow. 

Jisung gathered himself and pushed off of the ground, determined to make it to the infirmary without any more distractions. Opening the heavy back door was hell for his body, but it was reassuring to see the doors of the infirmary wide open and easy to access. Smiling to himself, Jisung staggered to the doors. 

According to Chenle, shifts in the infirmary usually consisted of one or two medic-in-trainings, two First Nurses, two Second Nurses, a Clinic, and either the First or Second Doctor. They lasted eight hours and continued all day. Given that there were only six First Nurses, five Second Nurses, two Clinics, and one First and Second Doctors, there were a lot of repeats. When Jisung almost fell into the infirmary, he immediately met eyes with Jiwoo, Jungeun, and Choerry. He barely managed to choke out a ‘hi’ before his body gave up on him. Jiwoo and Jungeun were instantly shooting out of their seats to take care of him, Jungeun barely looking at Choerry as she ordered the younger girl to get Yanan and Jeonghan. Choerry ran off as Jiwoo held Jisung’s head in her hands. 

“Hey, Jisung, what’s going on? I need you to talk to me, we can’t help if we don’t know what’s wrong.” Jiwoo said quickly, almost too quickly for Jisung’s groggy mind to process. It took him another few seconds before he could reply. 

“Really… bad… damn… headache… smoke… railing gone…” Jisung really tried to explain what had been happening since he woke up, but his brain and body just weren’t cooperating. Choerry came running back with Yanan and Jeonghan behind her. 

“He’s running a high fever and said something about a bad headache and smoke. And the railing is gone?” Jiwoo looked confused as she explained to the two Second Nurses. Jisung could feel himself being lifted off of the ground by Jeonghan and Yanan, the two supporting each of his sides. He hadn’t realized that he had a fever. Maybe the wisps had distracted him?

“Jungeun, could you please open the door to V.E.R. 2?” Yanan may have been as skinny as a stick, but there was no struggle in his voice as he talked to Jungeun. Jungeun nodded, running to the front desk. Jisung couldn’t see anything beyond that. His body had been pushed to its limit during the trip from his room to the infirmary, and now he couldn’t even turn his head. Jungeun was back in a flash, a ring of keys in her hands. She fumbled with them for a split second before separating one from the rest and inserting them into the lock of the room that Jeonghan and Yanan had stopped in front of. Jiwoo and Choerry had followed the group nervously from behind. The lock clicked, and Jungeun shoved the door open as quickly as she could, stepping out of the way as soon as she was in so Jeonghan and Yanan could bring Jisung to the vacant cot. 

“Yanan, can you…” Jeonghan didn’t finish his sentence, too busy running around the room and telling Jungeun and Jiwoo their jobs, as well as teaching Choerry what they were doing. Yanan didn’t need the elder to finish, because he was nodding in acknowledgement. Jisung shut his eyes. There was too much movement going around him, too much noise. 

“You’ll be okay, Jisung. Just give me a moment.” When Yanan had been carrying Jisung, he felt the wisps again, but they were so faint that Jisung didn’t think to pay attention. But suddenly, they were enormous, the pinks and grays flooding over Jisung’s body in waves. Although Jisung couldn’t hear the exact words Yanan was saying, his brain had somehow figured out that Yanan had used Magic Enhancement. 

Then Jisung could feel Yanan move right next to the cot. “ _ Make the senses unaware. _ ” Jisung’s headache was almost immediately alleviated, yet there still was a small pounding at the back of his skull. 

“Jisung, can you talk now?” Jisung opened his eyes to see Jeonghan’s face hovering over his, the elder’s bleach blond hair falling past his ears. Jungeun placed a paper cup filled with water on the table right next to the cot, and then she and Jiwoo were gone, taking Choerry with them, leaving Jisung alone with Yanan and Jeonghan. 

“Y-yeah. I think so.” Jisung’s voice sounded so foreign, even to his own ears. Yanan’s wisps had died down as soon as he cast the sense nullification spell, and Jisung was glad that they wouldn’t bother him anymore. “I’m sorry for causing such a huge racket.”

“It’s alright,” Yanan said gently. “But what happened?” Yanan asked, squeezing water out of a washcloth and then putting it on Jisung’s forehead. The cool cloth made Jisung’s body relax even more than he thought was possible. Now, he realized that he had been extremely hot. 

“I don’t really know.” Jisung admonished. He didn’t know why he had suddenly gotten a skull-splitting headache in the middle of the night. He didn’t know why there were smoke-like wisps everywhere he went that made him feel color. He didn’t know why the railing had suddenly disappeared. He was completely clueless. 

“Well, start from the beginning then. Can you make sure to explain what happened with the smoke and the railing?” Jeonghan asked smoothly. Jisung saw the two nurses pull up chairs to the sides of Jisung’s cots. 

“I just woke up randomly with this really bad headache. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t because it kept getting worse, so I decided to come here. And then when I got up, I realized that there were these smoke tendrils, I guess, coming off of Donghyuck’s body, and I could see color coming from them,” Jeonghan and Yanan shared a confused look as Jisung continued. “When I went down the hallway, I could feel the wisps coming from a lot of other people, like Warlock Minseok, Warlock Kun, Apprentice Jongin, Promiser Yeri, and Apprentice Luna.” 

“When I was going down the stairs, the headache suddenly got a lot worse. Like sharp pain. When I tried to grab the railing to regain my balance, the part where my hand was was just gone. There was a pile of dust under it, but other than that, it just disappeared.” Jisung finished, and Jeonghan and Yanan looked at each other again, Jeonghan with a questioning look and Yanan just shrugging. 

“Can you feel anything like you did from Donghyuck from Yanan?” Jeonghan asked, and Jisung nodded. The wisps were weaker now, but if Jisung focused, he could easily find them. “I think we’ll need to get one of the warlocks or First Doctor Yixing in here. This is beyond us.” Yanan nodded. 

“I’ll go get First Doctor Yixing.” The pink haired male said, getting up from his seat. 

“Thanks,” Jeonghan nodded at his fellow medic before Yanan left the room. Then Jeonghan turned back to Jisung. “Is the nullification spell working alright? Do you need anything?” 

“It still hurts a little at the back of my head.” Jisung replied truthfully. Jeonghan always somehow knew when he was lying about his pain. 

“Hopefully, First Doctor Yixing might be able to explain what’s going on.” Jeonghan said, and Jisung nodded slightly. Jeonghan gave him a dazzling smile. 

A minute later, Yanan returned with Yixing, the circles under his eyes darker than his hair. The room was filled with purple and black. “Hi, Jisungie.” 

“Hi, First Doctor.” Jisung greeted back. 

“Jeonghan, Yanan, thank you two for taking care of him thus far. I’ll take it from here,” Yixing said, dismissing the two nurses. The two younger men bowed to the doctor and left the room. Yixing took a seat, spinning to face Jisung. “Yanan filled me in a little bit. He said that you said you were seeing wisps with colors?” 

Jisung nodded, and Yixing furrowed his eyebrows, tapping his chin thoughtfully as he took a deep breath. The elder stayed quiet for another few moments before speaking again. “You said you were feeling it from Minseok, Kun, Jongin, Luna, Yeri, and Yanan, right?” Jisung nodded in affirmation, and Yixing hummed, biting his lip. 

“I have some theories, but unfortunately, I’m not experienced enough in real magic to be of much use. For tonight, just sleep that fever off. I’ll come back tomorrow with one of the warlocks, and hopefully we can get some answers then. Call Jungeun, Jiwoo, or Choerry if you need anything, alright, Jisungie?” 

“Okay.” Jisung couldn’t say anything else, and Yixing said a small ‘good night’ before leaving Jisung with his own thoughts. It was magic related. That’s what Yixing had implied. Jisung had never been taught too much about magic other than the basics. What was going on with his body now? Was whatever that was going on with him so bad that even Yixing didn't know what was going on?

***

Jisung woke up with the headache nothing but a subtle throb in the back of his head. Sunlight streamed through the window right behind his cot, and he could hear voices outside his room. His washcloth was cool, freshly replaced, but Jisung felt like he didn't need it anymore. A quick glance at the clock in the room let him know that it was 7:45, forty-five minutes after breakfast had started and fifteen minutes before the next shift for the infirmary started. 

When Jisung tried to get up, he found that his arms were weak and trembling and that he was barely able to support his weight sitting up. He couldn’t open his eyes all the way, like they were swollen, but he could still easily see the wisps reaching out to him from under the door. It was Yanan’s pink and gray, the combination of the colors oddly relaxing. Jisung sank back into his cot, closing his eyes again in the hopes that he could go back to sleep. 

It felt like he had only closed them for a few seconds before the door opened. Jisung didn’t even need to open them again, because he could feel who had entered. Minseok, Kun, and Yixing. Yixing was speaking softly to them, so Jisung couldn’t hear what their conversation was about. He opened his eyes and looked at the clock. Somehow, forty-five minutes had passed, and Jisung was feeling significantly stronger than he had when he had woken up at first. 

“Good morning, Jisung. Feeling any better?” Yixing asked, and Jisung nodded. 

“The headache is still there but it’s not as bad.” Jisung replied. 

“Still seeing those wisps?” Jisung nodded, and Yixing moved to write something on a clipboard that was hanging from one of the cabinets. “Kun, Minseok, you guys can sit down.” 

After another second, Yixing finished whatever he was writing, taking the clipboard down and holding it in his arms. “I’ll leave you guys to it, then.” The doctor bowed and then left the room. 

“So, Jisung,” Minseok started, “Yixing said that you were seeing wisps and you could feel colors coming from them?” Jisung nodded in affirmation. 

“Did you realize that you were only feeling it from magics?” Kun asked. Jisung froze. He hadn’t. He had been a little too focused on not throwing up and falling down the stairs to pay attention to who the wisps were coming from. Kun took Jisung’s silence as an answer. “Yixing also mentioned that you said the railing turned to dust where you touched it?” 

Jisung nodded again, and Minseok and Kun looked at each other. Kun shrugged in a way that said ‘I don’t know, you’re more experienced than me’, and Minseok sighed. “Everything that we’re thinking is just empty theories. Neither of us or Yixing are really, um, how do I say this,  _ knowledgeable  _ about your role and powers. We were just brought here because Warlock Seola is away, and Yixing didn’t know who else to bring to—” Minseok couldn’t finish his sentence because suddenly, Jisung was falling through a hole that had somehow appeared in the middle of the cot, perfectly shaped to fit his body. He hit the ground beneath the cot with a grunt, some of the air knocked out of his lungs, and Minseok and Kun scrambled to his sides. 

Taking a deep breath, Jisung sat up, his head going through the hole. He turned around to see dust scattered on the ground behind him in an outline of his body. Kun brushed the back of Jisung’s shirt off, and Minseok stared at the floor, shocked. 

“I’ll be right back.” Minseok picked himself off of the ground after gaping for a few seconds more. At Kun’s confused look, the older warlock quickly added, “I have to get someone who knows what’s going on.”

After Minseok had shut the door, Jisung looked at Kun. “I thought only Warlock Seola knew what was going on?” Kun just shrugged in response. 

“He’s been here longer than I have. Probably knows more about everyone here. But are you okay?” Kun asked, fussing over Jisung and checking over every inch of him. 

“I’m fine. It was like, a two foot fall,” Jisung batted Kun’s hands away, crawling out from under the cot and standing back up. “I have to apologize to the medics for wrecking their cot.” Jisung said, staring at the massive hole that had appeared in the middle of it. 

“I’m sure they’ll understand.” Kun replied, following Jisung’s gaze. After a few seconds, Jisung started laughing. How the hell did he manage to make that? Kun gave Jisung a confused smile. 

“Imagine what the trash guys are going to think when they see this.” Jisung said through his smile, and Kun turned back to the cot with an incredulous look. 

“True. They’re going to think that we’re up to something sketchy.” Kun chuckled to himself. A comfortable silence settled over the room for a few minutes after Jisung and Kun sat down, only to be broken by Minseok opening the door again, followed by a disheveled Donghyuck. 

“How is Donghyuck going to know what’s going on?” Jisung asked before he could stop himself. Donghyuck blinked at Jisung before awareness set in. 

“Oh, so this is where you were. Chenle was going to freak out this morning because you just vanished.” Jisung’s heart filled with guilt. He didn’t know that Chenle had been so worried. 

“He’s going to know because he went through the same thing. Jisung, show him the cot.” Jisung gave Minseok a confused look but stood up from the edge of the cot, showing Donghyuck the gaping hole. Donghyuck took a few steps closer to inspect it and the dust, as well as the back of Jisung’s shirt, before sighing. 

“Alright. I’ll go talk to Naeun to get the suppressant, although I’m not sure if it’ll work for him, being more powerful than I am.” Donghyuck said to Minseok, smirking at Jisung knowingly, but Jisung’s eyes were widened. 

“What’s going on?” Jisung asked. 

“Should I explain or should you?” Donghyuck asked the elder warlock, to which Minseok replied with ‘You know more than I do’. How could Donghyuck know more about magic than Minseok did? Wasn’t Minseok a warlock because he knew everything?

“Well, Jisungie, congrats. You’ve finally started using magic, but the type of magic that you’re using is the honestly worst one to start out with. What’s going on with you is Destruction. It’s not a spell that requires words. Destruction is a magic type that attaches itself to the magic’s body and small parts of their aura, or like how you’ve been describing it, the wisps,” So that’s what the wisps were. The aura. “Not everyone can see auras though, it’s a very good ability to have. It’s a very straightforward name. Destruction  _ destroys.  _ So far, you’ve only been wrecking things that you yourself were touching, and even then, it’s an exact outline. Yet as time passes, it’ll begin to spread from your body to your aura, making it so that everything that your aura comes near disintegrates.” Jisung blanched. What the hell kind of magic was this? He had always admired magics for the awe-inspiring spells that they performed, and there had been times where he wished that he could use magic too. This wasn’t this type of magic he meant. 

“It’s controllable, but it requires extreme focus and months, maybe even years, of training. I’ve heard from the general that you  _ have  _ used it and controlled it once, but you might’ve been too sick to remember it. The general also told me that you use traces of it every once in a while, and that you always end up disintegrating the infirmary locks with it, but it doesn’t seem like you know how to use it too well yet. So, once we get you your suppressant, I’ll help you control it.” Donghyuck finished. 

“How do you know so much about this but Warlock Minseok doesn’t? And how are you going to help me control it?” Jisung asked suspiciously. He knew that Donghyuck was smart in a lot of random areas, but this was a bit too obscure to be believable. Yet at the same time, Minseok wouldn't have brought him here if he didn't know what he was talking about...

“Because Donghyuck is the only known person in Vaela that has Destruction.” Minseok said as Donghyuck shrank a little bit. 

“It’s nothing to be happy about. We’re lucky that we figured out what was going on with Jisung before he hurt anyone.” Donghyuck’s voice was quieter now, his aura emitting guilt, sadness. Jisung wanted to give the promiser a hug, but refrained. Although he wanted to know what happened to Donghyuck, he didn’t want to pry either. 

Donghyuck shook his head, the negativity vanishing from his aura. “Anyways, Jisung, you need to come with me so we can get your suppressant as soon as possible. I’ll explain whatever you want to know on the way there.” Donghyuck said to Jisung, and Jisung, although suspicious, was more curious than anything, so he nodded and stood up. He moved next to Donghyuck but was careful to not touch the elder. What if he  _ did  _ hurt someone? Even worse, what if he  _ killed  _ someone? He didn’t know anything that was going on with his body or magic. He hadn't even known until just now that he  _ could  _ use magic.

Minseok and Kun nodded in acknowledgment. “I’ll get someone to take care of the cot. Kun, could you help Jisung?” Minseok waited for Kun to nod before walking out of the room to get one of the medics. The warlock then turned to Jisung. 

“ _ Invisible walls shall erect themselves with my words _ .” Kun uttered, and Jisung watched in wonder as part of Kun’s blue and white aura broke off to surround his body. “Stay safe, kids.” Donghyuck nodded, grabbing Jisung’s hand and pulling him out of the room. Jisung could barely wave to Kun before he had to follow Donghyuck. 

“Wait, me touching you isn’t going to do anything?” Jisung asked, to which Donghyuck shook his head. 

“Since Kun put a forcefield around you, the magic is trapped inside of it. We’re not even touching, look.” Donghyuck brought their joined hands up to Jisung’s eye level, and Jisung saw that there was a tiny space between their hands. His eyes widened at seeing that. He genuinely thought that he had direct contact with Donghyuck. Donghyuck laughed at the younger’s shock, continuing to pull him to the gates of the inner city. When they got there, they both nodded at the three guards, a group of friends that Jisung was sort of familiar with. 

“Where are you guys going?” The youngest, Junghoon, asked curiously. 

“Just to go get something for Jisung.” Donghyuck replied, smiling patiently, but his aura was doing the exact opposite. 

“Stay safe!” The other two, Rubin and Jehyun, politely waved at Jisung and Donghyuck. They returned the gesture before Donghyuck was pulling Jisung away again. 

“What’s the rush, Donghyuck?” Jisung asked. He might have been taller than the promiser, but Donghyuck’s stride was a lot quicker than usual, making Jisung speed-walk to keep up. 

“Because the quicker you get that suppressant, the less risk there is for injury. Hurting someone with Destruction is the  _ worst  _ feeling in the world. Even worse than your twin not trusting you with something that could get him killed. Trust me, I know.” Jisung didn’t ask how Donghyuck knew, opting to stay silent until Donghyuck stopped in front of a jewelry store. He looked at the light tan haired boy, confused, but Donghyuck was already pushing open the door. 

“Hi, welcome to April, how can I help… you… Oh, it’s just you, Donghyuck.” An employee looked at Donghyuck with mock disgust, to which Donghyuck stuck his tongue out. 

“Oh, shut up, Rachel. Where’s Naeun?” Donghyuck dragged Jisung with him to the counter to talk to Rachel. 

“In the back, probably making out with Yena,” Rachel replied nonchalantly. “Why? Who’s your friend?” Rachel’s eyes scanned Jisung up and down as she leaned over the counter. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. 

“You know, for someone who works at a jewelry store, you think that you’d be a little more polite,” Rachel fixed Donghyuck with a cold stare, which got nothing but a laugh from Donghyuck. “I need her to make another power suppressant. This is Jisung, we just found out that he has Destruction this morning.” Rachel nodded in understanding. 

“Yo, Naeun! You have a visitor!” Rachel called. 

A few seconds later, another woman, who faintly resembled Jiwoo, emerged from the back door, muttering and grumbling to herself. Her hair was disheveled and her lips were swollen. Jisung forced himself to look at the ground so that no one could see his face turning red. Rachel must’ve been right. 

“Who the hell… Oh! Donghyuck, it’s you!” Naeun sounded bitter, but by the time she saw Donghyuck, her tone had brightened significantly. “How are you doing? You brought someone else today?”

“I’ve been doing really well. I finally got together with Mark—” Rachel and Naeun’s shrieks of joy cut Donghyuck off. 

“Oh my god! He finally grew some balls! I didn’t think he had it in him!” Rachel laughed incredulously. 

“Congratulations, Donghyuck! That’s great!” Naeun slapped Donghyuck’s shoulder with a bright, shameless grin. Then she ran her fingers through her hair, combing out the knots. “So, what’s your friend need?” Jisung made eye contact with the black haired girl, and he wanted nothing more to hide from her analytical eyes. 

“He needs a power suppressant.” Donghyuck replied, and Naeun groaned instantly. 

“Oh, god, you’re not the only one? I thought I was done with those.” She complained dramatically. From behind the back door, another girl called out, ‘Donghyuck, if you’re making my girlfriend cry, I’m going to beat your ass!’. Jisung guessed that that was Yena. 

“She’s just being extra!” Donghyuck yelled back. “So can you? Please?” Donghyuck stuck out his bottom lip and looked at Naeun with the most sincere puppy eyes Jisung had ever seen.

Naeun looked away, a look of frustration on her face. “I hate you. You know I can’t say ‘no’ to you. Your twin would just march back in here and offer to sell his soul to us again. I don’t need that,” Jisung stared at Donghyuck in confused horror, but Donghyuck didn’t elaborate any further. 

“Kid, do you wear any jewelry? Anything at all?” Naeun asked, and Jisung shook his head. “That might be a little harder, but we’ll make do. Go ahead and look through the store. Rachel will help you if you need anything. You see something, anything, you like, bring it back here.” Naeun instructed, and Jisung nodded. Rachel rolled her eyes at being given a task, but she stepped to the side to talk to Jisung without Naeun and Donghyuck being in the way. 

“So, anything in mind? Do you want a ring like Donghyuck, or maybe a necklace or bracelet?” Rachel’s voice was softer now, just like one would expect from someone working at a jewelry store. Or just someone working in customer service. Jisung shook his head, and Rachel sighed. “You’re planning to just walk around till you see something?” 

“Pretty much.” Jisung replied. Rachel nodded, and Jisung felt a weird sense of respect coming from the gesture. 

“Just call if you need anything, alright?” Rachel offered helpfully, and Jisung nodded in acknowledgement. He thought about what he wanted.  _ Something heavy. That way I know if it falls off.  _ Jisung’s eyes fell onto a thick chain bracelet.  _ That looks heavy.  _

Jisung looked up from the glass box to Rachel. It took her another second to look away from her conversation with Naeun and Donghyuck, but once she did, she walked over immediately. “Which one?” Jisung pointed to the thick bracelet, and Rachel nodded. She pulled a set of keys out from under the counter and unlocked the box, pulling the bracelet out. “Go ahead and hold it. See if you like its feel.” Rachel held the bracelet out for Jisung, and he took it, the magnets at the end snapping themselves around his wrist. It was cold and hefty, and Jisung nodded again to Rachel. 

“This one.” He affirmed, and Rachel gave him a thumbs up. Jisung took it off and walked back to Naeun and Donghyuck, who seemed to be in an argument as to whether anklets would make the store any money. 

“Um, excuse me,” Jisung said quietly. Naeun instantly shut up and turned around to face Jisung. He held the bracelet out for her, and she took it into her thin hands. 

“Nice choice. Come back at noon to pick it up.” Naeun waved to Donghyuck and Jisung with her free hand as she headed for the back room. 

“Thank you.” Jisung bowed to the woman, but she just laughed. 

“Don’t thank me. Thank Donghyuck, Jeno, and Mark for making this virtually free. I’m putting this on your tab, Donghyuck!” Naeun said before disappearing. 

“Anyways, you heard her. Bye, bitch.” Rachel said playfully to Donghyuck, who clutched his chest in mock offense. But he eventually laughed and gestured for Jisung to follow him. Jisung gave Rachel a bow before leaving, the blue haired girl laughing as the two left the store. 

“You seemed really friendly with them.” Jisung pointed out as they made their way back to the inner city. Donghyuck snickered. 

“I don’t know if we’re friendly. I get into arguments with them all the time, especially Rachel and Jinsol. But in the end, I guess we are good friends. I’ve known them for even longer than I’ve known Mark. Me, Jeno, and Mark get them a lot of business, that’s why you’re getting the suppressant for free.” Donghyuck explained. 

“Naeun said ‘virtually free’?” Jisung reminded the elder, who just waved him off. 

“It means that she wants me to bring in more customers than usual. No actual money involved.” Donghyuck replied, and Jisung nodded. 

“Also, what did Jeno do? He offered to sell his  _ soul  _ to them?” Donghyuck barked out a laugh at Jisung’s question. 

“Yeah, we were like, two and he just repeated some words that Donghae had said before. It was kind of funny. Amazing how she remembers even after all these years.” Donghyuck laughed. 

“What’s the context behind that?” Jisung asked, and Donghyuck’s laugh died down a little bit. 

“Um, my Destruction started showing up when I was six months, and my parents heard from their friends that April had a worker that made power suppressants. They couldn’t afford it, obviously. They kept working for the next year and a half until they… they couldn’t work anymore,” Jisung didn’t miss tears beginning to well up in Donghyuck’s eyes, and he applauded the elder’s strength when he wiped the tears away instantly. “Donghae and Jeno’s family found out about it, and they took me to April again. Naeun kept saying that the cost would be too much for them to afford, and eventually, Jeno got so mad at them that he just offered his soul to them. He kept insisting that they take it as payment until Naeun broke and said that she’d make it for free.” Donghyuck finished. 

“I’m sorry for bringing up a bad topic.” Jisung apologized, realizing that Donghyuck’s aura was dimmer, sadder, more closed off, but Donghyuck just shook his head. 

‘No, it’s okay’ was all Donghyuck said before going silent. Jisung was left to think. He knew that Donghyuck’s parents had died when he was two, Donghyuck said earlier that he knew the pain of hurting someone with his Destruction, and with what Donghyuck just said, he didn’t have the suppressant when his parents ‘couldn’t work anymore’. Was he implying… Jisung didn’t even want to think about that possibility. If Donghyuck was ready, then he’d tell him. Making assumptions was a waste of time. 

***

Four hours later, Jisung and Donghyuck were back at April. Rachel was gone now, replaced with a light brown haired girl who introduced herself as Chaekyung. If April had an employee of the month, Jisung was fairly sure that it would be her. She greeted them politely, and even though Donghyuck spoke informally with her, she never said anything as harsh as Rachel did. The three talked for a few minutes before Naeun emerged from the back room, this time accompanied by a girl with bright orange hair. 

“Oh, the bear finally emerges from her cave.” Donghyuck said mockingly as soon as she saw her, and she bared her teeth at him. 

“Shut up. I came out while you were gone. You must be the one who needed the suppressant. I’m Yang Yena. Don’t believe anything this garlic clove says about me.” Yena held her hand out for Jisung to shake, and with as little hesitation as possible, Jisung took it. Her grip was strong, Jisung realized as the girl squeezed his hand.

Donghyuck squawked with indignation. “Garlic clove? I’ll have you know that I am much better looking than a garlic clove.” 

“Right,” Naeun and Yena said curtly in unison. Chaekyung just offered Donghyuck a smile that looked like she was trying her best not to laugh. 

“What? Chaekyung, you too? Where’s Chaewon when you need her?” Donghyuck whined. 

“She’s still sleeping, you better not disturb her,” Naeun replied. “Anyways, Jisung, come with me. Donghyuck, I  _ guess  _ you can come too.” Naeun rolled her eyes dramatically as she started walking towards the back door. “Chaekyung, I’m leaving Yena here to help you.” 

Yena voiced her complaints about being left behind almost immediately, but a passive-aggressive smile from Chaekyung shut her up just as quickly. Naeun laughed at her girlfriend, opening the back door for Jisung but jokingly shutting it in front of Donghyuck. She opened it immediately after though. The trio passed through the back storage room and then emerged into a thin, empty courtyard. 

“Why’s it so dead here?” Jisung asked. There were no other signs of life, no other doors or windows, no other people, not even weeds growing out of the cracks in the ground. Naeun guided Jisung to stand in the very middle of the courtyard. 

“Cause most people don’t know this place exists, I guess. There are stores all around here, but none of them have doors leading out here. We only found it by accident because Jinsol got pissed at the people who have a shop behind us and wanted to destroy their back wall.” What a character. 

“Anyways, here’s the finished suppressant.” Naeun produced the bracelet from this morning from her pocket and handed it to Jisung. Jisung let the magnets clip together, and Naeun took a step back. “Alright, Donghyuck, do me a favor and nullify the forcefield. Also back up in case it doesn’t work.” Donghyuck nodded, walking backwards until he was standing right outside of the door leading outside. 

“ _ It’s over _ .” Jisung saw the bits of Kun’s aura that were attached to his body fly away. He couldn’t see his own aura though.  _ Is that normal? _

“Okay, Jisung, you see that rock in front of you? I want you to give your all into disintegrating it. Just visualize it turning into dust. It’s okay if it doesn’t work, it just means that the suppressant is doing its job.” 

“He doesn’t have control over it—” Donghyuck tried saying, but Naeun slapped a hand over the younger’s mouth. 

“Hush. I’m trying to see something.” Jisung turned away from the two and looked down at the rock at his feet. It was kind of big, a little smaller than his fist. It looked so innocent, just sitting there doing nothing. Jisung felt bad that he had to think of disintegrating it. Even if he wouldn’t actually be able to do it, it still felt wrong. But Naeun was the one who made him this suppressant for free, and with it, he’d be able to not kill anyone. He owed it to her to at least try. 

So Jisung took a deep breath, staring at the rock. He felt his neck tense with the force that he was wishing for this thing to disintegrate. He kept playing the same scenes in his head. In the first one, the rock was whole. In the second one, it was a pile of dust like the railing had been. Over and over. One, two, one, two. He knew subconsciously that Donghyuck was right, that he had no control over his Destruction, but it didn’t hurt to try, right? Just repeat it over and over again. 

Jisung lost track of time, focusing purely on the rock and the scenes in his head. He didn’t realize Naeun’s and Donghyuck’s shocked faces until Naeun’s voice snapped him out of his trance. “Jisung, do you see what you’re doing?” Her voice sounded so terrified, so small that Jisung didn’t have any other choice but to come back to reality. He looked at the rock in front of him, a tad disappointed when he realized that it was still intact. But if it was still fine, then what was Naeun so worried about?

“What did I do?” Jisung asked, looking between Naeun and Donghyuck, who looked like they had just seen a ghost. “I didn’t do anything, the rock is still fine.”

“Because you put… it… back together.” Donghyuck replied as he stared at the rock like it had done him a personal wrong. 

“Put it back together?” Jisung repeated, now even more confused. 

Naeun’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “It turned to dust for a second, and then it went back to being a rock. And then it repeated until you focused on us.” Just like the scenes in Jisung’s head. One, two. One, two. That had been happening in real life. 

“Oh, god, I’m going to have to take the bracelet back and put a stronger enchantment on it. If that’ll even work. God, I was just trying to test out an idea, I didn’t think that it would actually work. Jisung, I’m so sorry, I’ll need to take the bracelet back for a little bit until I figure out how to suppress your Destruction.” Naeun didn’t hesitate when stepping towards Jisung. The younger backed up, not knowing what would happen if he took off the bracelet when Naeun was so close. He didn’t want to hurt the person who was making him the suppressant. Naeun looked confused as to why Jisung was shying away until realization hit her. “Right. Take off the bracelet and slide it over here. Focus on your body, on yourself. Picture it as if you’re flying high above the ground and if you pay attention to anything other than yourself, you’ll fall and die.” Naeun instructed, and Jisung immediately obeyed, pulling the magnets of the bracelet apart, sliding it to Naeun, and then shutting his eyes. He was the only important thing right now. 

“Jisung, hold on. Don’t pay attention to anything else.” Naeun repeated. Jisung was panicking on the inside. What if he suddenly thought about something else and hurt Naeun, or even worse, Donghyuck? What would he do if he hurt Donghyuck, who had gone through so much today for his sake? “Just a little longer.”  _ Please hurry up _ , Jisung begged mentally, but Naeun would never be able to hear him. What was she doing anyway? 

“Hey, Naeun, a customer is—” The sudden voice, added with Jisung’s previous nerves, forced him to open his eyes, and then he took in the scene before him. Donghyuck and Naeun were kneeling on the ground, the bracelet in between them, while Yena poked her head out of the back door. Naeun gaped at her girlfriend for no more than a millisecond before realizing that Jisung had opened his eyes and lost his focus. She grabbed Donghyuck and bolted for the door, not shutting it, but standing well behind it. 

The ground underneath Jisung trembled like there was an earthquake, and he could hear something like sand falling behind him. He could see his aura now, easily, the thin wisps travelling all through the courtyard, whipping against the walls and dissolving everything they touched. He worried if Naeun and Donghyuck were far away enough to be safe. 

“Jisung, you have to refocus!” Naeun yelled, yet Jisung could barely hear her through the noise of the earth and the collapsing walls around him. Jisung shut his eyes, hyperventilating and praying that this was a dream. He pictured white clouds, a blue sky, buildings far below him, him floating in the sky.  _ Stay up. Don’t fall _ , he begged himself. He couldn’t hear anything outside of his pounding heart, squeezing his eyes shut in hopes that this would all end. Almost feeling himself slip when he thought of whether Donghyuck and Naeun were safe, Jisung bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, and the metallic taste in his mouth kept him strangely grounded. 

When Jisung was sure that he was going to faint from hyperventilation, he felt a heavy coldness on his wrist. “Hey, hey, Jisungie, you’re okay now.” Donghyuck said gently, but Jisung couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes and see the damage he had done, shaking his head furiously. 

“Jisung, everything’s alright. Donghyuck helped me with the enchantment I needed, and the bracelet is going to work now. You don’t need to worry. You won't hurt anyone.” Naeun’s hand rested on Jisung’s shoulder, and he opened his eyes finally, scanning the buildings around him. There were gashes everywhere in the walls, looking like someone had taken a whip to them, which was basically what his aura had been. Right behind him was an enormous gaping hole, far larger than Jisung himself. How were they going to explain this to the shop owners? 

Jisung backed away from the hole before finally falling to his knees, the irregular oxygen intake from hyperventilating finally getting to his body. He felt his body shake before his headache returned tenfold and everything went white. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my reminder to stan april and stream now or never thank you  
> their hair is from lalalilala era tho cause when i wrote this chapter now or never hadn't come out yet
> 
> i'm sorry for a late update ig? i hit a really bad writer's block with this and i'm hoping that if i ignore it enough then i'll get more ideas like what happened with chenle's chapter whoops

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a dream I had... It might not be that good, but please leave a kudo and a comment! It helps a lot with my motivation, though I can't say anything for my creativity lol
> 
> Find me on Twitter: aestia5


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